Opioid Treatment Clinicians See Both Harms and Benefits of Cannabis Use in Their Patients

Clinicians estimated 56.1% of OTP clients had used cannabis in the past month and 44.9% had cannabis dependence, but only 15.3% identified their cannabis use as problematic and 10.7% sought treatment. Clinicians identified both harms (dependence 46.5%, financial issues 37.5%, increased tobacco 33.1%) and benefits (sleep 49.7%, mental health 48.3%, chronic pain 35.6%). 63.7% advocated for enhancing cannabis intervention efforts.

Survey of 162 clinicians from six public opioid treatment program services in New South Wales, examining perspectives on clients' cannabis use patterns, perceived harms and benefits, and confidence in delivering interventions.

This is the first study to document how opioid treatment clinicians perceive their clients' cannabis use. The nuanced view -- acknowledging both benefits and harms -- reflects clinical reality better than either a purely positive or negative framing of cannabis in addiction treatment settings.

The disconnect between high cannabis use rates among opioid treatment clients and low rates of seeking cannabis-specific treatment suggests that current services are not reaching most users who might benefit from help. Clinician support for enhanced services, combined with low confidence in delivering them, points to a clear training need.

Clinician estimates of client behaviors may not be accurate. Single-region Australian sample. 56% response rate introduces possible selection bias. Cannot confirm actual cannabis use rates among clients.