A study published today in the Journal of Cannabis Research found that people who used cannabis to manage opioid withdrawal were more likely to reduce their opioid use, especially among those with moderate to severe pain.
The study, also available through the National Library of Medicine, was conducted by researchers from the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, the University of British Columbia, the University of California and Simon Fraser University.
Researchers examined data from 197 people in Vancouver, Canada who used cannabis and unregulated opioids. The data came from a cross-sectional questionnaire administered between December 2019 and November 2021.
Among participants, 89 people, or 45.2%, reported using cannabis to manage symptoms of opioid withdrawal in the previous six months.
After adjusting for other factors, researchers found that cannabis use for opioid withdrawal was significantly associated with self-reported reductions in opioid use during the same period. Participants who used cannabis for withdrawal had more than twice the odds of reporting reduced opioid use compared to those who did not.
The association was especially strong among participants experiencing moderate to severe pain. In that subgroup, cannabis use to manage withdrawal was associated with more than six times higher odds of reporting reduced opioid use.
“Opioid withdrawal is a significant challenge for people seeking to reduce or eliminate opioid use, and unmanaged withdrawal increases the risk of relapse and overdose”, the researchers noted in the study’s abstract.
The authors said the findings support further research, including experimental trials, to examine whether cannabinoids may help people experiencing opioid withdrawal, particularly those also living with pain.
The study does not prove that cannabis directly caused participants to reduce their opioid use. Researchers relied on self-reported data, and the study was observational rather than a controlled clinical trial. However, the results add to growing evidence that some people who use opioids are turning to cannabis as a way to manage withdrawal symptoms and potentially reduce opioid consumption.
Researchers concluded that cannabis use to manage unregulated opioid withdrawal was significantly associated with reductions in opioid use among cannabis-using people who use unregulated opioids, especially those living with pain.
