Palliative care cancer patients interested in medical cannabis had very low risk of drug dependence
Among 182 palliative care patients with advanced cancer who were screened for a medicinal cannabis trial, none met criteria for high risk of drug dependence, with the vast majority being low risk.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Of 182 palliative care patients screened, 92% reported lifetime alcohol use and 73% lifetime tobacco use. No participant reached threshold criteria for high risk of drug dependence on the ASSIST screening tool, with the majority being low risk. There was no correlation between ASSIST scores, symptom distress (ESAS), or opioid use.
Key Numbers
182 participants; 92% lifetime alcohol use; 73% lifetime tobacco use; 0% high risk for drug dependence; majority low risk; no correlation between ASSIST, ESAS, and morphine equivalent dose
How They Did This
Analysis of screening data from palliative care patients with advanced cancer who expressed interest in a medicinal cannabis trial. All completed the ASSIST drug dependence screening, Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), and concomitant medication records.
Why This Research Matters
Concerns about drug dependence sometimes discourage prescribing medicinal cannabis in palliative care. These data suggest dependence risk may be very low in this population.
The Bigger Picture
The finding that no palliative care patient met high-risk dependence criteria challenges the reflexive application of substance use screening barriers to end-of-life cannabis access.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Self-selected patients interested in a cannabis trial; questionnaire bias acknowledged by authors; ASSIST may not be sensitive to dependence patterns in palliative populations; cross-sectional screening data; small sample
Questions This Raises
- ?Should routine drug dependence screening be a prerequisite for medicinal cannabis in palliative care?
- ?Does the concept of "dependence risk" apply the same way in end-of-life contexts?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Zero patients met high-risk drug dependence criteria
- Evidence Grade:
- Screening data from trial-interested patients, inherently self-selected with potential questionnaire bias acknowledged by authors.
- Study Age:
- 2024 study
- Original Title:
- Drug dependence epidemiology in palliative care medicinal cannabis trials.
- Published In:
- BMJ supportive & palliative care, 14(3), 295-298 (2024)
- Authors:
- Lee, Chee Yen, Good, Phillip(2), Huggett, Georgie(2), Greer, Ristan, Hardy, Janet
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05461
Evidence Hierarchy
Watches what happens naturally without intervening.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Are palliative care patients at risk for cannabis dependence?
In this study of 182 patients with advanced cancer, none scored at high risk for drug dependence. The vast majority were low risk. This suggests that concerns about dependence may be overstated for this population.
Should cancer patients be screened for substance risk before getting medical cannabis?
The authors suggest routine drug screening may not be justified for palliative care patients, given the universal low-risk findings. However, they acknowledge the possibility of questionnaire bias, as patients interested in a cannabis trial may underreport substance use concerns.
Read More on RethinkTHC
- CBD-oil-quality-guide
- anxiety-medication-after-quitting-weed
- cannabis-chemotherapy-nausea
- cannabis-chronic-pain-research
- cannabis-epilepsy-CBD-Epidiolex
- cbd-anxiety-research-evidence
- cbd-for-weed-withdrawal
- cbd-vs-thc-difference
- medical-benefits-of-cannabis
- quitting-weed-before-surgery
- quitting-weed-medication-interactions
- quitting-weed-pregnancy
- quitting-weed-pregnant
- seniors-older-adults-cannabis-risks-medications
- weed-breastfeeding-THC-breast-milk
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05461APA
Lee, Chee Yen; Good, Phillip; Huggett, Georgie; Greer, Ristan; Hardy, Janet. (2024). Drug dependence epidemiology in palliative care medicinal cannabis trials.. BMJ supportive & palliative care, 14(3), 295-298. https://doi.org/10.1136/spcare-2023-004583
MLA
Lee, Chee Yen, et al. "Drug dependence epidemiology in palliative care medicinal cannabis trials.." BMJ supportive & palliative care, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1136/spcare-2023-004583
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Drug dependence epidemiology in palliative care medicinal ca..." RTHC-05461. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/lee-2024-drug-dependence-epidemiology-in
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.