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

The takeaway

Clinicians estimated over half of opioid treatment clients used cannabis recently, recognizing benefits for sleep and mental health but also harms including dependence and financial problems, while calling for enhanced intervention services.

Addiction treatment professionals, healthcare program designers, harm reduction advocates

56% of opioid treatment clients estimated to use cannabis, but only 11% seek help

What the researchers found

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.

Why it matters

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 numbers in context

N=162 clinicians, 56% response rate. Estimated 56.1% of OTP clients used cannabis past month. 44.9% estimated to have dependence. Only 15.3% identified use as problematic. Only 10.7% sought treatment. Harms: dependence 46.5%, financial 37.5%, tobacco 33.1%. Benefits: sleep 49.7%, mental health 48.3%, pain 35.6%. 63.7% wanted enhanced services. Prioritized: withdrawal services 81%, harm reduction 77.4%, counselling 74%, medicinal cannabis 59.8%.

How the study worked

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.

What this study cannot tell us

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.

How to read the evidence

Preliminary evidence from a clinician survey with moderate response rate, reflecting perceptions rather than measured patient outcomes.

When this study was published

2025 study examining clinician perspectives on cannabis use among opioid treatment clients in Australia.

The bigger picture

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.

Questions still open

Why do so few OTP clients seek help for cannabis use despite high dependence rates? Would integrated cannabis-opioid treatment services improve outcomes for both substances? How should services balance the perceived benefits of cannabis use (sleep, mental health) with the harms?

Common questions

How common is cannabis use among people in opioid treatment?

Clinicians in this study estimated that over half (56%) of their opioid treatment clients had used cannabis in the past month, with nearly 45% estimated to have cannabis dependence. However, very few clients (about 11%) actively sought help for their cannabis use.

Do clinicians see cannabis as helpful or harmful for opioid treatment patients?

Both. Nearly half of clinicians identified benefits for sleep (49.7%) and mental health (48.3%), while also recognizing harms including cannabis dependence (46.5%) and financial problems (37.5%). This reflects the complexity of cannabis use in addiction treatment populations.

Read the original research

Clinicians' Perspectives on Cannabis Use and Cannabis Treatment in Clients Undertaking Opioid Dependence Treatment.

Drug and alcohol review, 44(5), 1339-1350

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Parvaresh, Laila; Mills, Llewellyn; Gholami, Jaleh; Jansen, Louisa; Jamshidi, Nazila; Baker, Kate; Tremonti, Christopher; Tracy, Marguerite; Dunlop, Adrian; Lintzeris, Nicholas. (2025). Clinicians' Perspectives on Cannabis Use and Cannabis Treatment in Clients Undertaking Opioid Dependence Treatment.. Drug and alcohol review, 44(5), 1339-1350. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.14074