Does cannabis use during opioid addiction treatment affect outcomes? Review of 41 studies says mostly not
A systematic review of 41 studies found that cannabis use during medication-based opioid addiction treatment was mostly unrelated to treatment outcomes like opioid use, adherence, and retention.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Across 41 studies examining cannabis use during methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone treatment for opioid use disorder, the majority found no significant association between cannabis use and opioid use, treatment adherence, or retention. A small number of studies found either supportive or detrimental effects, but these were inconsistent.
Key Numbers
41 studies included (23 methadone, 7 buprenorphine, 6 naltrexone, 5 mixed); majority found no significant association between cannabis use and primary outcomes.
How They Did This
Systematic review of 41 peer-reviewed studies across seven databases examining cannabis use during medication-based opioid use disorder treatment (methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone).
Why This Research Matters
Clinicians often worry that cannabis use might undermine opioid addiction treatment. This comprehensive review suggests those concerns are largely unsupported by evidence, which could influence how treatment programs handle cannabis-positive patients.
The Bigger Picture
Some researchers have proposed that cannabis could help manage opioid cravings and withdrawal. While this review does not confirm that hypothesis, the absence of consistent harm suggests cannabis use should not automatically disqualify patients from opioid treatment programs.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
High heterogeneity in how cannabis use was measured and defined across studies; most studies were observational; potential confounding from polysubstance use; cannabis use patterns varied widely.
Questions This Raises
- ?Could intentional cannabis use (rather than incidental) during opioid treatment actually improve craving and withdrawal outcomes?
- ?Should treatment programs reconsider punitive policies for cannabis-positive patients?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 41 studies: majority found no link between cannabis use and opioid treatment outcomes
- Evidence Grade:
- Moderate: systematic review of 41 studies with consistent findings, though limited by observational designs and heterogeneous cannabis measures.
- Study Age:
- Published 2020.
- Original Title:
- The relationship between cannabis use and patient outcomes in medication-based treatment of opioid use disorder: A systematic review.
- Published In:
- Clinical psychology review, 82, 101939 (2020)
- Authors:
- Lake, Stephanie(16), St Pierre, Michelle(2)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-02666
Evidence Hierarchy
Analyzes all available research on a topic using a structured method.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does cannabis use hurt opioid addiction treatment outcomes?
The majority of 41 studies found no significant association between cannabis use and opioid treatment outcomes. A few studies found either positive or negative effects, but these were inconsistent.
Should opioid treatment programs ban cannabis use?
The evidence does not support the idea that cannabis use independently threatens treatment outcomes, suggesting punitive approaches to cannabis-positive patients may not be justified.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-02666APA
Lake, Stephanie; St Pierre, Michelle. (2020). The relationship between cannabis use and patient outcomes in medication-based treatment of opioid use disorder: A systematic review.. Clinical psychology review, 82, 101939. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101939
MLA
Lake, Stephanie, et al. "The relationship between cannabis use and patient outcomes in medication-based treatment of opioid use disorder: A systematic review.." Clinical psychology review, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101939
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "The relationship between cannabis use and patient outcomes i..." RTHC-02666. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/lake-2020-the-relationship-between-cannabis
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.