Increasing Cannabis Use Made It Harder to Quit Cigarettes for People With HIV

Among 374 people with HIV trying to quit smoking, those who increased cannabis use had 78% lower odds of quitting cigarettes.

Ozga, Jenny E et al.·Drug and alcohol dependence reports·2023·Moderate EvidenceRandomized Controlled Trial

Quitting (221)Harm Reduction (776)

Quick Facts

Study Type

Randomized Controlled Trial

Evidence

Moderate Evidence

Sample

N=374

What This Study Found

Increased cannabis use was associated with reduced odds of cigarette abstinence at 6 months vs decreased use (aOR 0.22) or no use (aOR 0.25). Cannabis non-use increased from 18.2% to 34.3% over 6 months.

Key Numbers

374 participants. 198 used cannabis. Increased use: aOR 0.22 vs decreased use. Cannabis non-use rose from 18.2% to 34.3%.

How They Did This

Secondary analysis of an RCT for cigarette cessation among PWH. 374 participants reported past-30-day cannabis use across four visits.

Why This Research Matters

People with HIV smoke at higher rates with lower cessation rates. If increasing cannabis undermines quit attempts, this is critical clinical information.

The Bigger Picture

Many participants naturally reduced cannabis during their cigarette quit attempt, suggesting these behaviors may be linked.

What This Study Doesn't Tell Us

Secondary analysis. Self-reported cannabis. Small subgroups. PWH population may not generalize.

Questions This Raises

?Does cannabis undermine cessation through pharmacological or behavioral pathways?
?Should cessation programs include cannabis assessment?

Trust & Context

Key Stat:: 78% lower odds of quitting cigarettes for those who increased cannabis use
Evidence Grade:: Secondary analysis of an RCT with appropriate adjustment but small cannabis subgroups.
Study Age:: Published 2023, using 2016-2020 trial data.
Original Title:: Co-use of cigarettes and cannabis among people with HIV: Results from a randomized controlled smoking cessation trial.
Published In:: Drug and alcohol dependence reports, 7, 100172 (2023)
Authors:: Ozga, Jenny E, Shuter, Jonathan, Chander, Geetanjali(2), Graham, Amanda L, Kim, Ryung S, Stanton, Cassandra A
Database ID:: RTHC-04830

Evidence Hierarchy

Meta-Analysis / Systematic Review

Randomized Controlled TrialGold standard for testing treatments

This study

Cohort / Case-Control

Cross-Sectional / Observational

Case Report / Animal Study

Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or placebo groups to test cause and effect.

What do these levels mean? →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does cannabis make it harder to quit smoking?

In this study of PWH, those who increased cannabis had 78% lower odds of quitting cigarettes.

Did cannabis use change during quit attempts?

Yes. Non-use rose from 18% to 34%, suggesting many naturally reduced cannabis alongside cigarette quitting.

Cite This Study

RTHC-04830·https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-04830

APA

Ozga, Jenny E; Shuter, Jonathan; Chander, Geetanjali; Graham, Amanda L; Kim, Ryung S; Stanton, Cassandra A. (2023). Co-use of cigarettes and cannabis among people with HIV: Results from a randomized controlled smoking cessation trial.. Drug and alcohol dependence reports, 7, 100172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dadr.2023.100172

MLA

Ozga, Jenny E, et al. "Co-use of cigarettes and cannabis among people with HIV: Results from a randomized controlled smoking cessation trial.." Drug and alcohol dependence reports, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dadr.2023.100172

RethinkTHC

RethinkTHC Research Database. "Co-use of cigarettes and cannabis among people with HIV: Res..." RTHC-04830. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/ozga-2023-couse-of-cigarettes-and

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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.

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