A recent study published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse suggests that cannabis is not an effective treatment for opioid addiction. The study, which involved thousands of people undergoing treatment for opioid use disorder, found that cannabis had no significant effect on opioid use outside of medical guidance.
The findings have important implications for treatment programs in the United States, as some programs still require patients to abstain from cannabis before qualifying for treatment. This requirement is based on the belief that individuals are more likely to engage in non-medical opioid use if they are also using cannabis.
The study also calls into question the increasingly popular viewpoint that cannabis can help wean people with opioid use disorder off opioids. Opioids are effective painkillers but can be highly addictive, contributing to the ongoing opioid use disorder crisis in the US. Each day, around 120 people die from drug overdoses involving opioids, and the economic cost of opioid use disorder and related deaths exceeds $1 trillion annually.
While cannabis is now legally recognized as a medicine in 37 states in the US, its use in treating opioid use disorder remains uncertain. Some studies suggest that cannabis can alleviate pain and opioid withdrawal, while others suggest that it may increase the likelihood of returning to opioids.
Further research is needed to clarify the interaction between cannabis and opioids in order to provide evidence-based addiction treatment and prevent overdose deaths. The study’s authors argue that equipping healthcare professionals with this knowledge is crucial to saving lives. Gabriel Costa, a researcher from the University of Ribeirão Preto in Brazil, emphasizes the need for randomized placebo-controlled trials to thoroughly assess the safety and effectiveness of cannabis and its constituent cannabinoids in alleviating symptoms of opioid use disorder.
The study analyzed data from ten longitudinal studies involving 8,367 individuals who were receiving medication (such as buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone) for their opioid use disorder. The study compared the frequency of non-medical opioid use between individuals who used cannabis and those who did not. The results showed no significant association between cannabis use and non-medical opioid use.
Dr. Joao P. De Aquino, a specialist in the treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring medical and psychiatric disorders from Yale University, emphasizes the importance of individualized treatment approaches for opioid use disorder. Instead of enforcing cannabis abstinence as a condition for treatment, Dr. De Aquino suggests addressing each patient’s unique circumstances, including assessing cannabis use disorder, pain management needs, and any co-occurring psychiatric conditions.
However, the study does have some limitations. There is a lack of consistency in how the studies included in the analysis conducted their research, including differences in how cannabis and opioid use were measured. Additionally, the results may not apply to individuals with cannabis use disorder.
In conclusion, the study suggests that cannabis does not have a significant impact on the treatment of opioid addiction. While cannabis may have potential medicinal uses and may help alleviate pain and opioid withdrawal in some individuals, more research is needed to fully understand its effects on opioid use disorder. As high-potency synthetic opioids such as fentanyl become more readily available, access to FDA-approved treatments for opioid use disorder is crucial in saving lives.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
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