Munich, Germany: A significant percentage of patients undergoing opioid maintenance therapy (OMT) acknowledge consuming cannabis to ease withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings, according to survey data published in the journal Brain Sciences.
German researchers affiliated with the University of Munich surveyed 128 opioid use disorder (OUD) patients receiving OMT. Forty-one percent of respondents reported using cannabis. Of those, 59 percent said that they did so “to suppress cravings for other [controlled] substances.” Thirty-nine percent said they used cannabis “to suppress opioid withdrawal symptoms.”
The findings are consistent with prior studies involving opioid-dependent subjects.
“These findings highlight a complex interaction between opioid treatment and cannabis use,” the study’s authors concluded. “Further longitudinal and placebo-controlled trials are needed to investigate the clinical and pharmacological interactions between cannabis and OMT, including effects on craving, withdrawal, and overall treatment outcomes.”
Full text of the study, “Cannabis use in opioid maintenance therapy: Prevalence, clinical correlates, and reasons for use,” appears in Brain Sciences.Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Relationship Between Marijuana and Opioids.’