In an interview with Taste of Country published on May 24, Grammy Award-nominated country artist Jason “Jelly Roll” DeFord said that he smokes weed to stay away from hard drugs that he’s used in the past—namely opioids and benzodiazepines.

Given his past as an addict and his role in speaking against the use of fentanyl sweeping the country, the interview quickly shifted on the topic of drugs. But Jelly Roll doesn’t see weed the same way as hard drugs which can tear families apart and lead to deadly overdoses.

“I get in trouble for this, all the time, but my stance on marijuana will always be the same: I believe marijuana has helped me in so many regards, with my anxiety,” Jelly Roll told Taste of Country. “This is a hot button topic, but, truly, marijuana has kept me sober.”

The country superstar paused for a moment, then added, “I think a world without weed, Jelly Roll’s drinking codeine and popping Xanax and snorting cocaine again, but a world with weed, I’ll be alright.”

Jelly Roll abandoned hip-hop for a career in country music—which turned out to be a wise and lucrative decision. Jelly Roll’s album Whitsitt Chapel hit number 1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart and number 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums in 2023. In November 2023, he won the award for New Artist of the Year at the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards. He’s won three CMT Music Awards and several other accolades.

TMZ reports that Jelly Roll has been a huge voice against fentanyl use and an example for people dealing with drug addiction. Last January, he appeared in front of Congress to back anti-fentanyl legislation called the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act.

Jelly Roll gave an opening statement at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing about fentanyl awareness and legislative solutions to stop illegal smuggling of fentanyl. “Fentanyl transcends partisanship and ideology…this is a totally different problem,” he started the hearing with in a speech that was described by many as “powerful.”

‘The sad news is that narrative is changing, too, because the statistics say that in all likelihood almost every person in this room has lost a friend, family member of colleague to the disease known as addiction,’ DeFord told the committee chaired by Cleveland Democrat Sherrod Brown. ‘I could sit here and cry for days about the caskets I’ve carried of people I love dearly.’”

His messages about fentanyl and hard drug use, and the potential of replacing them with a less dangerous substance such as pot, have made a lasting impact.

Cannabis for Addiction

Cannabis has been explored for its potential role in fighting addiction of hard drugs. Some studies have focused on CBD for treating addiction disorders, some of which are caused by compulsive cravings, while others focused on THC as well.

While many studies have focused on cannabis to curb opioid use with some looking more broadly at stimulants, new research suggests that it could prove useful for those with crack use disorder (CUD). In fact, the popular non-psychoactive CBD, or cannabidiol, seems to be the key element.

The study, published recently in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, utilized a double-blind randomized clinical trial comparing CBD to three drugs commonly used to treat CUD: fluoxetine, valproic acid and clonazepam. Authors represent a number of Brazilian academic and official institutions, comprising various departments at the University of Brasília, the Brazilian Federal District’s secretary of health and forensic institute and the Federal University of São Paulo.

The research ultimately found that participants who took CBD had better health outcomes and fewer adverse effects compared to those who underwent traditional pharmaceutical options.

In another study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, researchers found that cannabis is not only widely used to manage stimulant cravings but that it may be an effective strategy to reduce stimulant use.

To further analyze how cannabis use may affect people using stimulant drugs, researchers collected data from three cohorts in Vancouver, Canada: the At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS), the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study (VIDUS) and the AIDS Care Cohort to Evaluate Exposure to Survival Services (ACCESS).

Researchers used a cross-sectional questionnaire alongside logistic regression models to analyze the relationship between cannabis use to manage stimulant cravings as well as self-reported changes in the frequency of stimulant use. 

Many others say cannabis replaced their daily alcohol use.

The studies seem to back up some of the claims about cannabis and sobriety. Jelly Roll, like country outlaw Willie Nelson, are helping to spread the good word on cannabis to the country music world.

The rising prominence of regular cannabis use over alcohol use is nothing new. 

We’ve witnessed myriad research in recent years showing that states with legal recreational cannabis see decreases in alcohol use, that Gen Z tends to prefer cannabis over alcohol and other reports noting that cannabis has consistently generated more tax revenue than alcohol and cigarettes in states like Colorado and Washington. 

So it’s not necessarily a surprise that, for the first time, the number of Americans who use cannabis on a daily, or near-daily, basis has eclipsed those who drink alcohol at the same frequency. Associated Press first reported on the recent analysis of national survey data, finding that an estimated 17.7 million people reported daily or near-daily cannabis use, compared to 14.7 million daily or near-daily American drinkers.

For comparison, 1992 was the low point for daily cannabis use as less than 1 million people at the time said they used cannabis every day.

Daily Use Among 40% of Cannabis Consumers

According to study author Jonathan Caulkins, who researches cannabis policy at Carnegie Mellon University, alcohol is still more widely used, but 2022 was the first time that the level of cannabis use overtook daily or near-daily drinking.

“A good 40% of current cannabis users are using it daily or near daily, a pattern that is more associated with tobacco use than typical alcohol use,” Caulkins said.

Caulkins’ study, titled “Changes in self-reported cannabis use in the United States from 1979 to 2022,” is based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and published in the journal Addiction on Wednesday. It notes that there was a 15-fold increase in the per capita rate of reporting daily or near-daily cannabis use from 1992 to 2022, whereas the 1992 survey found 10 times as many daily or near-daily alcohol users compared to cannabis users.

Reflecting alcohol as the more commonly used substance, the study notes that the median drinker reported alcohol use on four to five days in the past month, versus 15 to 16 days of past-month use for cannabis users. Past-month cannabis consumers were almost four times as likely to report daily or near-daily use and 7.4 times more likely to report daily use, according to the study.

A Decades-Long Journey for Cannabis

Of course, this trend is no accident. It’s the product of gradual policy changes, advocacy and broader education surrounding the true nature of cannabis use and cannabis consumers following decades of skewed propaganda and harsh criminalization.

The study notes four major periods of cannabis policy fluctuation in the U.S., starting with liberalization in the ‘70s as 11 states decriminalized or reduced cannabis-related penalties. This is alongside the Shafer Commission report, which countered the popular notion that cannabis users were dangerous, concluding that users tend to be more passive and cannabis does not cause widespread danger to society. It also recommended social measures to curb usage rather than criminalization.

The more conservative policies of the 1980s and early ‘90s followed, with President Reagan and Bush Sr.’s now somewhat infamous War on Drugs in full force. The third major period outlined by the study spans 1993 to 2008, a period of “state-led liberalization” underscored by an increasing recognition of medical cannabis contrary to federal policy.

Finally, we witness the period of “explicit non-interference by the federal government” starting in 2009, with Deputy Attorney General David Ogden’s memo prompting American attorneys not to focus “federal resources in your states on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana.”

Just a few years later, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize adult-use cannabis.

“There were myriad other changes at the local, state and federal level in both law and policy,” the study notes. “Change has been continual, so these epochs are just signposts, not the only moments of change.”

Weighing Impacts of Daily Cannabis Use Over Daily Alcohol Use

For those who have tried cannabis and who use it routinely, this information may not come as much of a surprise. American attitudes around cannabis have shifted, with the majority routinely sharing they consider cannabis as a safer alternative that alcohol and cigarettes.

Research is also increasingly finding a lack of “hangover” effects in cannabis users, showing no evidence of next-day effects following THC consumption. This, of course, acts in stark contrast to alcohol use, so those who use cannabis frequently arguably have fewer obstacles to navigate surrounding general day-to-day functions. In addition, research is increasingly finding that even chronic pot use has minimal effects on motivation.

Regular cannabis use isn’t without its faults. The Associated Press report includes the perspective of University of Maryland School of Medicine psychiatry professor Dr. David A. Gorelick, who notes that high-frequency cannabis users are more likely to become addicted to cannabis. Gorelick was not involved in the original study.

Some studies have also pointed to increased risk in heart problems among heavy cannabis users (though other studies have suggested the opposite). 

There’s also been a recent influx in studies suggesting that cannabis use, especially surrounding high-potency products, produces greater risk in developing psychosis. While substance abuse disorders indeed carry psychiatric comorbidities, there is limited evidence surrounding how this relationship translates to the general population and how much substance use disorders are driven by such comorbidities. 

A number of studies have combated that narrative with advocates often arguing that touting this relationship between cannabis use and psychosis is simply the newest iteration of “reefer madness” of past years.

Of course, more research is needed to fully determine the health impacts of regular cannabis use — something that the upcoming Schedule III status of cannabis will likely aid in. 

That said, regular alcohol use is known to affect how the brain works over time, damage the heart, increase risk of stroke and high blood pressure and weaken the immune system, leaving people more susceptible to illness. There’s also the toll it takes on the liver and pancreas and its potential to cause several types of cancer.

While cannabis may not be perfect, even your standard “recreational” user is likely to cite a number of medical-specific benefits they enjoy from their use. Many regular cannabis users utilize it as a means to better wellness or to usher in specific symptom relief while also helping to provide a sense of ease and escape from their struggles. 

All to say, research like this often affirms what those in the cannabis community have been saying for years. Perhaps society is finally beginning to catch up.

A new California program incentivizes people using meth or cocaine with money if they can prove they are clean in an evidence-based system in which participants can earn incrementally more the longer they stay clean. Why? Because California is grappling with substance use disorder “crisis” with deaths from cocaine, meth, and other stimulants soaring in recent years. In 2021 for instance, 65% of drug-related overdose deaths involved stimulants, compared to 22% in 2011. The impulsive nature of stimulant cravings and addiction calls for alternative approaches.

A Medi-Cal initiative called CalAIM provides social and behavioral health services, including addiction treatment to individuals in California . California Healthline reports that CalAIM provides people who use meth and cocaine with an incentive to quit habit-forming drugs that are difficult to kick on your own.

Contingency Management (CM) is a program that provides motivational incentives to treat people who use stimulants like meth or cocaine, and support their path to recovery. It recognizes and reinforces individual positive behavioral change, and requires them to prove it with drug tests showing negative results for stimulants. “CM is the only treatment that has demonstrated robust outcomes for individuals living with stimulant use disorder, including reduction or cessation of drug use and longer retention in treatment,” the program states.

“The Recovery Incentives Program increases access to new evidence-based treatments for Californians living with substance use disorder,” the program’s Fact Sheet states. “Starting in 2023, the program is available to members living with stimulant use disorder in participating counties, in outpatient, intensive outpatient, and Narcotic Treatment Program settings. As part of the program, eligible Medi-Cal members participate in a structured 24-week outpatient program, followed by at least six months of additional recovery support services. Participants meet with a trained contingency management coordinator twice weekly for the first 12 weeks of the program, then weekly for weeks 13 to 24 to complete a drug test. Participants receive a small gift card each time they test negative for stimulants and can earn up to $599 per year in incentives.”

California is the first state in the country to receive federal approval of CM as a benefit in the Medicaid program through the CalAIM 1115 Demonstration. CM also tested other sources of funding.

According to the state Department of Health Care Services, about 2,700 patients from 19 counties have enrolled in the program since April 2023.

Quinn Coburn, 65, who is in the program, told California Healthline, “It’s that little something that’s holding me accountable.”  Coburn received $10 for each clean urine test he provided the first week of the program, and the pay increases in subsequent weeks: $11.50 per test in week two, $13 in week three—up to $26.50 per test.

The program promises as much as $599 a year, and Coburn is proof that it’s doable: As of mid-May, Coburn had completed 20 weeks of clean drug tests and made $521.50.

“The way stimulants work on the brain is different than how opiates or alcohol works on the brain,” said John Duff, lead program director at Common Goals, where Coburn receives treatment. “The reward system in the brain is more activated with amphetamine users, so getting $10 or $20 at a time is more enticing than sitting in group therapy.”.

The average recovery rate for people suffering from meth addiction is around 37%, which is about equal to other physically addictive drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and prescription drugs. Cannabis is also being explored as a potential treatment to help reduce stimulant cravings.

Fighting Meth Abuse at the National Level

The fight against meth abuse is also taking place at the national level.

In 2022, President Joe Biden signed legislation designed to address the rising scourge of meth abuse in the United States.

The new law, titled the Methamphetamine Response Act, “requires the government to declare methamphetamine an ‘emerging drug threat’ and to develop a response plan specific to methamphetamine,” according to a press release.

The bill had bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and Senate: its sponsors were Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Reps. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and John Curtis (R-Utah).

According to a study from the National Institutes of Health, “overdose deaths involving methamphetamine nearly tripled from 2015 to 2019 among people ages 18-64 in the United States.” That study showed that the “number of people who reported using methamphetamine during this time did not increase as steeply, but the analysis found that populations with methamphetamine use disorder have become more diverse,” suggesting that “increases in higher-risk patterns of methamphetamine use, such as increases in methamphetamine use disorder, frequent use, and use of other drugs at the same time, may be contributing to the rise in overdose deaths.”