Medical cannabis in a residential recovery program showed promise for reducing cravings and substance use | Research

The takeaway

In a pilot of 14 clients in residential recovery, adjunctive medical cannabis helped reduce drug cravings and manage pain while destigmatizing cannabis as a therapeutic tool.

Addiction treatment designers, harm reduction advocates, medical cannabis clinicians.

Clients reported reduced drug cravings and improved symptom management

What the researchers found

Clients reported cannabis substitution reduced cravings for problematic substances and helped with pain and comorbid symptoms. Staff highlighted the need for cannabis education, clear dispensing guidelines, and accessible frameworks.

Why it matters

Using cannabis within recovery programs is controversial. This pilot provides the first qualitative evidence from both clients and staff on feasibility of structured cannabis programs coexisting with recovery goals.

The numbers in context

14 clients at 3 time points. 7 staff interviewed. Reports of reduced cravings, pain management, symptom relief. Key facilitators: cannabis education, clear guidelines.

How the study worked

Qualitative study: interviews and validated self-reports from 14 clients at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months, plus 7 staff interviews, at a Canadian residential recovery program.

What this study cannot tell us

Very small sample. No control group. Single site. Qualitative design cannot establish efficacy.

How to read the evidence

Qualitative pilot providing feasibility data but cannot demonstrate efficacy.

When this study was published

Published in 2025.

The bigger picture

Harm reduction increasingly recognizes that abstinence-only approaches do not work for everyone. Cannabis substitution could join other substitution approaches if supported by further evidence.

Questions still open

Would a controlled trial confirm reduced substance use? What safeguards prevent cannabis itself from becoming problematic?

Common questions

Can medical cannabis help with addiction recovery?

This small pilot found clients reported reduced cravings, but only 14 people were studied without a control group.

Is it contradictory to use cannabis in recovery?

The study found structured approaches with education and guidelines allowed cannabis to coexist with recovery goals.

Read the original research

Medical Cannabis Use Adjunct to Standard of Care in a Residential Substance Use Recovery Program: A Pilot Study.

Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 86(6), 967-976

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Fehr, Florriann C; Lo, Lindsay A; Nelson, Christopher C; Diehl, Lauren; Walsh, Zach. (2025). Medical Cannabis Use Adjunct to Standard of Care in a Residential Substance Use Recovery Program: A Pilot Study.. Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 86(6), 967-976. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.24-00224