How People in Opioid Recovery Use Cannabis: Insights from Reddit Forums
People in opioid recovery discussed cannabis primarily for managing withdrawal symptoms, while active opioid users discussed it for enhancing the opioid high, revealing two distinct use patterns.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Cannabis-related posts were twice as prevalent in the recovery subreddit (5.4%) as in the active opioid use subreddit (2.6%). Recovery forum users primarily discussed cannabis for managing withdrawal symptoms alongside "comfort meds." Active opioid users primarily discussed cannabis to enhance the opioid high.
Key Numbers
Recovery subreddit: 908 cannabis posts (5.4% of 16,791); opioid subreddit: 4,224 cannabis posts (2.6% of 159,994); 200 posts qualitatively analyzed
How They Did This
Text analysis of cannabis-related posts from two Reddit communities (opioid use and opioid recovery) from December 2015 to August 2019, using TF-IDF weighting for frequent phrases and qualitative content analysis of 200 random posts.
Why This Research Matters
Understanding how people actually use cannabis in relation to opioids reveals two distinct motivations that have very different clinical implications for harm reduction and treatment.
The Bigger Picture
The self-reported use of cannabis for opioid withdrawal management adds to growing naturalistic evidence that some people find cannabis helpful during recovery, though this contrasts with its use as an enhancer among active users.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Pseudonymous online posts cannot be verified. Reddit users may not represent the broader opioid-using or recovering population. Self-reported motivations may not reflect actual effects.
Questions This Raises
- ?Does cannabis actually reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms, or does it primarily provide subjective comfort?
- ?Would structured cannabis-assisted opioid withdrawal protocols improve recovery outcomes?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Cannabis posts 2x more prevalent in recovery vs active use forums
- Evidence Grade:
- Qualitative analysis of pseudonymous online posts. Provides naturalistic insights but cannot establish efficacy or generalize broadly.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2022
- Original Title:
- "I got a bunch of weed to help me through the withdrawals": Naturalistic cannabis use reported in online opioid and opioid recovery community discussion forums.
- Published In:
- PloS one, 17(2), e0263583 (2022)
- Authors:
- Meacham, Meredith C(2), Nobles, Alicia L, Tompkins, D Andrew(2), Thrul, Johannes
- Database ID:
- RTHC-04058
Evidence Hierarchy
Uses interviews or focus groups to understand experiences in depth.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Do people in opioid recovery use cannabis?
This study found cannabis was discussed twice as often in opioid recovery forums as active use forums. In recovery, cannabis was primarily used for managing withdrawal symptoms alongside other comfort medications.
Why do active opioid users and recovering users use cannabis differently?
The study found two distinct patterns: people in recovery used cannabis to manage withdrawal symptoms (nausea, anxiety, sleep), while active opioid users used cannabis primarily to enhance the opioid high.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-04058APA
Meacham, Meredith C; Nobles, Alicia L; Tompkins, D Andrew; Thrul, Johannes. (2022). "I got a bunch of weed to help me through the withdrawals": Naturalistic cannabis use reported in online opioid and opioid recovery community discussion forums.. PloS one, 17(2), e0263583. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263583
MLA
Meacham, Meredith C, et al. ""I got a bunch of weed to help me through the withdrawals": Naturalistic cannabis use reported in online opioid and opioid recovery community discussion forums.." PloS one, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263583
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. ""I got a bunch of weed to help me through the withdrawals": ..." RTHC-04058. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/meacham-2022-i-got-a-bunch
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.