A study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review found that daily marijuana use may increase the likelihood of stopping unregulated opioid use among people who experience chronic pain.
“Amidst the opioid overdose crisis, there is interest in cannabis use for pain management and harm reduction”, states the study’s abstract. “We investigated the relationship between cannabis use and cessation of unregulated opioid use among people who use drugs (PWUD) living with chronic pain.”
Researchers analyzed data from three prospective cohort studies conducted in Vancouver, Canada, between June 2014 and May 2022. The study included 1,242 participants who reported chronic pain and unregulated opioid use while completing at least two follow-up visits. Among these participants, 764 stopped using opioids over 1,038.2 person-years, resulting in a cessation rate of 28.5 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 25.4-31.9).
Daily marijuana use was significantly associated with opioid cessation, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.40 (95% CI: 1.08-1.81; p = 0.011). The effect was more pronounced among male participants, who had an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.50 (95% CI: 1.09-2.08; p = 0.014).
“Participants reporting daily cannabis use exhibited higher rates of cessation compared to less frequent users or non-users”, concludes the study. “Our findings add to the growing evidence supporting the potential benefits of cannabis use among PWUD, underlining the need for further research.
For the full study, click here.
