Clinicians Say Tobacco Cessation Should Be Integrated Into Cannabis Treatment Services

Five themes emerged from clinician focus groups: individual characteristics, clinician characteristics, intervention models, organizational healthcare models, and health policies. Clinicians emphasized that integrating tobacco cessation into cannabis treatment could reduce chronic stigma and improve overall health outcomes, but organizational fragmentation and lack of training were barriers.

Qualitative study with 15 clinicians in three focus groups in Catalonia, Spain. Two groups had extensive experience with tobacco cessation in substance use populations; one group did not. Thematic analysis identified patterns across experienced and inexperienced groups.

Many cannabis users also smoke tobacco, often mixing the two. Addressing tobacco use within cannabis treatment settings represents a missed opportunity for reducing overall health harms, particularly respiratory risks from smoked cannabis-tobacco mixtures.

Healthcare service fragmentation means that tobacco cessation and cannabis treatment often operate in silos. This study argues that bridging these services could improve outcomes for the large population of people who use both substances.

Small qualitative study limited to one region of Spain. Clinician perspectives may not reflect patient experiences or preferences. The healthcare system context in Catalonia may differ from other settings.