Cannabis use to manage opioid cravings among people who use unregulated opioids during a drug toxicity crisis

Original research
by
Reddon, Hudson et al

Release Date

2023

Geography

Canada

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

No

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

No

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

We sought to investigate the association between cannabis use to manage opioid cravings and self-reported changes in opioid use among structurally marginalized PWUO.

Findings/Key points

These findings indicate that cannabis use to manage opioid cravings is a prevalent motivation for cannabis use among PWUO and is associated with self-assessed reductions in opioid use during periods of cannabis use. Increasing the accessibility of cannabis products for therapeutic use may be a useful supplementary strategy to mitigate exposure to unregulated opioids and associated harm during the ongoing drug toxicity crisis.

Design/methods

Cross-sectional questionnaire (n=205)

Keywords

About PWUD
Withdrawal
Chronic pain