High prevalence of cannabis use among Aka foragers of the Congo Basin and its possible relationship to helminthiasis.
American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council January 1, 2016 Casey J Roulette, Mirdad Kazanji, Sébastien Breurec et al. 34 citations
Among the Aka, a hunter-gatherer population in the Congo Basin, cannabis use is common: 70.9% of men and 6.1% of women use it, for a total prevalence of 38.6%. Cannabis users tend to be younger and have less material wealth. The study tested whether cannabis use might be an unconscious form of self-medication against parasitic worms, which are prevalent in the Aka. Urinary levels of a cannabis biomarker (THCA) were negatively associated with worm burden, and men with higher THCA levels showed slower reinfection with helminths one year after anthelmintic treatment. These results support the hypothesis that cannabis use may help control parasite infections.