Cannabis use in patients treated for opioid use disorder pre- and post-recreational cannabis legalization in Canada

Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy

Launette Rieb¹  Gary Foster²  Lehana Thabane²  Andrew Worster³  Tea Rosic⁴  Zainab Samaan⁴  Nitika Sanger⁵  Balpreet Panesar⁶  David C. Marsh⁷ 

[1] Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia and St. Paul’s Hospital, 1081 Burrard St, Hornby site, V6Z 1Y6, Vancouver, BC, Canada;Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, L8S 4L8, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Biostatistics Unit, Research Institute at St Joseph’s Healthcare, 50 Charlton Avenue East, L8N 4A6, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, L8S 4L8, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Department of Medicine, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, L8S 4L8, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, L8S 4L8, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, L8S 4L8, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Medical Sciences Graduate Program, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, L8S 4L8, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Neurosciences Graduate Program, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, L8S 4L8, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Northern Ontario School of Medicine, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, P3E 2C6, Sudbury, ON, Canada;Canadian Addiction Treatment Centres, 175 Commerce Valley Drive West, Suite 300, L3T 7P6, Markham, Ontario, Canada;ICES North, 41 Ramsey Lake Road Sudbury, P3E 5J1, Sudbury, ON, Canada;

关键词: Legalization;    Cannabis;    Comorbidity;    Polysubstance use;    Recreational;    Methadone;    Buprenorphine;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13011-021-00372-z

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAs the legalization of recreational cannabis becomes more widespread, its impact on individuals with substance use disorders must be studied. Amidst an ongoing opioid crisis, Canada’s legalization of recreational cannabis in October 2018 provides an important setting for investigation. We examined changes to cannabis use patterns in patients receiving medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) following legalization.MethodsThis study includes cross-sectional data from 602 participants recruited 6 months pre-legalization and 788 participants recruited 6 months post-legalization, providing information on cannabis use. Regression analysis was used to estimate the association between legalization and cannabis use patterns. We collected longitudinal urine drug screens (UDSs) detecting cannabis-metabolites for 199 participants recruited pre-legalization and followed prospectively post-legalization. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the association between legalization and UDS results.ResultsPast-month cannabis use was self-reported by 54.8 and 52.3% of participants recruited pre- and post-legalization, respectively. Legalization was not associated with changes in any measured cannabis characteristics: cannabis use (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.73–1.13), days of use/month (B -0.42, 95% CI - 2.05-1.21), money spent, or cannabis source. There was no association between legalization and prevalence of cannabis use on UDS (OR 1.67, 95% CI 0.93–2.99) or percentage of cannabis-positive UDSs (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.99–1.01). Participants overwhelmingly reported that legalization would have no impact on their cannabis use (85.7%).ConclusionsAmongst patients treated for OUD, no significant change in cannabis use was observed following legalization; however, high rates of cannabis use are noted.

【 授权许可】

CC BY