Medical Cannabis Reduced Pain and Improved Sleep in People on Opioid Addiction Treatment
Adults with opioid use disorder on buprenorphine who added medical cannabis saw reduced pain and better sleep, but no significant change in opioid cravings or illicit use.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Over three months, participants taking a 1:1 THC:CBD capsule alongside buprenorphine/naloxone reported significant decreases in pain severity, improved sleep quality, and better quality of life across seven of eight domains. However, illicit opioid use rates and opioid cravings did not change significantly.
Key Numbers
Pain severity dropped from 5.18 to 4.39 (p<0.05). Sleep quality improved from 12.38 to 10.95 (p<0.05). Quality of life improved in 7 of 8 domains. Illicit opioid-positive urine tests dropped from 16% to 5%, but this was not statistically significant. Opioid cravings showed no significant change (2.15 to 1.78, p=0.49).
How They Did This
Observational study of 47 adults with opioid use disorder and chronic pain (minimum 5/10 severity) already receiving buprenorphine/naloxone. Participants were offered a discounted 5mg THC:5mg CBD daily oral capsule and assessed at baseline and three months using validated scales and urine drug screening.
Why This Research Matters
People being treated for opioid addiction frequently deal with chronic pain, and undertreated pain can drive relapse. This study suggests medical cannabis may help with pain and quality of life in this population, though it did not reduce illicit opioid use in this small sample.
The Bigger Picture
This adds to growing interest in whether cannabis-based treatments might complement medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction, particularly for managing chronic pain that often co-occurs with substance use disorders.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Very small sample (47 participants) with no control group. Participants self-selected into the study. Three-month follow-up is short. The discounted medication may have influenced participation and adherence.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would a longer follow-up show different results for opioid cravings?
- ?How do different THC:CBD ratios affect outcomes?
- ?Would a randomized controlled trial confirm these preliminary findings?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Pain severity dropped from 5.18 to 4.39, and quality of life improved in 7 of 8 domains
- Evidence Grade:
- Preliminary: small observational study with no control group and short follow-up period.
- Study Age:
- 2025 study using data from 2022-2023.
- Original Title:
- Clinical and psychosocial changes in adults with opioid use disorder and chronic pain using medical cannabis: a brief report.
- Published In:
- Journal of cannabis research, 7(1), 36 (2025)
- Authors:
- Lent, Michelle R(3), Keen, Ryan, Ruiz, Michael, Callahan, Hannah R, Galluzzi, Katherine E, Dugosh, Karen L
- Database ID:
- RTHC-06920
Evidence Hierarchy
Watches what happens naturally without intervening.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Did medical cannabis help people stop using illicit opioids?
Positive urine tests for illicit opioids dropped from 16% to 5%, but this change was not statistically significant in this small sample.
What type of cannabis product was used?
A 1:1 THC:CBD oral capsule at 5mg of each cannabinoid per day.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-06920APA
Lent, Michelle R; Keen, Ryan; Ruiz, Michael; Callahan, Hannah R; Galluzzi, Katherine E; Dugosh, Karen L. (2025). Clinical and psychosocial changes in adults with opioid use disorder and chronic pain using medical cannabis: a brief report.. Journal of cannabis research, 7(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-025-00297-5
MLA
Lent, Michelle R, et al. "Clinical and psychosocial changes in adults with opioid use disorder and chronic pain using medical cannabis: a brief report.." Journal of cannabis research, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-025-00297-5
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Clinical and psychosocial changes in adults with opioid use ..." RTHC-06920. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/lent-2025-clinical-and-psychosocial-changes
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.