Among people on methadone treatment, cannabis use appeared to moderate the relationship between lower methadone doses and treatment retention.
Addiction medicine specialists, methadone clinic staff, harm reduction advocates, and opioid use disorder researchers.
Dose-retention moderatorCannabis use moderated the link between lower methadone dose and treatment dropout
What the researchers found
Cannabis use moderated the association between lower methadone dose and treatment retention, suggesting that cannabis may help some patients remain in methadone treatment despite receiving lower doses that might otherwise lead to dropout.
Why it matters
Many methadone patients receive subtherapeutic doses due to various barriers, and treatment dropout is associated with overdose risk. If cannabis helps patients tolerate lower doses, this has implications for harm reduction.
The numbers in context
The study examined a community-based sample of people who use unregulated drugs, analyzing the interaction between methadone dose, cannabis use, and treatment retention.
How the study worked
Community-based cohort study examining interactions between methadone dose, cannabis use, and treatment retention outcomes.
Who was studied
Community-based sample of people who use unregulated drugs and are enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment.
What this study cannot tell us
Observational design cannot establish causation; cannabis use was self-reported; confounding factors like polydrug use may influence results.
How to read the evidence
Community-based cohort provides real-world evidence; observational design limits causal claims.
When this study was published
Recent study reflecting evolving perspectives on cannabis in addiction treatment.
The bigger picture
This study contributes to the growing debate about cannabis as an adjunct in opioid use disorder treatment, challenging traditional abstinence-only approaches to medication-assisted treatment.
Replication
Companion study to RTHC-04698; findings consistent with emerging literature on cannabis in OUD treatment.
Funding
Not specified
Conflicts of interest
Not specified
Questions still open
- Is cannabis use a deliberate self-medication strategy among methadone patients?
- Would CBD alone produce similar retention benefits?
- Should treatment programs reconsider cannabis policies?
Read the original research
Methadone Dose, Cannabis Use, and Treatment Retention: Findings From a Community-based Sample of People Who Use Unregulated Drugs.
Journal of addiction medicine, 17(1), e18-e26
Citation
Lake, Stephanie; Buxton, Jane; Walsh, Zach; Cooper, Ziva D; Socías, M Eugenia; Fairbairn, Nadia; Hayashi, Kanna; Milloy, M-J. (2023). Methadone Dose, Cannabis Use, and Treatment Retention: Findings From a Community-based Sample of People Who Use Unregulated Drugs.. Journal of addiction medicine, 17(1), e18-e26. https://doi.org/10.1097/ADM.0000000000001032