ArticleDrug and alcohol review2015
A safer alternative: Cannabis substitution as harm reduction.
Article in Drug and alcohol review, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 68 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
68 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 146 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cannabinoid exposure across substance use disorders: Short-term symptom benefits without sustained therapeutic gains in a tier-weighted systematic review.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2026Pooled it
- Comparing the Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention Versus Relapse Prevention for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Control Trial.Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs · 2023Trial
- Daily and near-daily cannabis use is associated with HIV viral load suppression in people living with HIV who use cocaine.AIDS care · 2021Trial
- Cannabis craving and cross-substance substitution during cannabis treatment: Initial insights across seven cannabis use disorder clinical trials.Addictive behaviors · 2026Article
- Cannabis use and beliefs among people in recovery from substance use disorders.Journal of cannabis research · 2026Article
- Young adults' conceptions of health and well-being during reentry.Health & justice · 2026Article
- Epidemiology of Cannabis Use Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the U.S.American journal of preventive medicine · 2026Article
- A qualitative study on cannabis use for harm reduction and pain among veterans enrolled in an SUD treatment program.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- Patient-Reported Characteristics and Care-Seeking among Canadian Adults with Chronic Pain: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey.Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur · 2026Article
- Brief report: Are changes in cannabis use frequency associated with changes in alcohol use and smoking among people with HIV (PWH) - A substitution question.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2025Article
- Article
- Conceptualizing 'cannabis harm reduction': lessons learned from cannabis compassion clubs and medical dispensaries in British Columbia (Canada).Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Mixed-methods study on professionals' attitudes toward harm reduction in cannabis use and the development of a knowledge translation plan.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Hazardous Drinking and Cannabis Use in Military Veterans: Comparative Associations with Risk for Suicidal and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury.International journal of mental health and addiction · 2025Article
- Feasibility pilot of a novel coaching intervention to optimize cannabis use for chronic pain management among Veterans.Journal of cannabis research · 2025Article
- Cannabis use and alcohol and drug outcomes in a longitudinal sample of sober living house residents in California.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2024Article
- Facilitators of and obstacles to practitioners' adoption of harm reduction in cannabis use: a scoping review.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- Perspectives regarding cannabis use: Results from a qualitative study of individuals engaged in substance use treatment in Georgia and Connecticut.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2024Article
- Cannabis use in a Canadian long-term care facility: a case study.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- Facilitators of and barriers to healthcare providers' adoption of harm reduction in cannabis use: a scoping review protocol.BMJ open · 2024Article
8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND
aimsSubstitution is operationalised as a conscious choice made by users to use one drug instead of, or in conjunction with another based on: perceived safety, level of addiction potential, effectiveness in relieving symptoms, access and level of acceptance. Harm reduction is a set of strategies that aim to minimise problems associated with drug use while recognising that for some users, abstinence may be neither a realistic nor a desirable goal. In this paper, we aim for deeper understandings of older adult cannabis users' beliefs and substitution practices as part of the harm reduction framework. DESIGN AND
methodsWe present selected findings from our qualitative study of Baby Boomer (born 1946-1964) marijuana users in the San Francisco Bay Area. Although the sample consisted of primary cannabis users, many had personal experience with other drugs throughout their lifetimes. Data collection consisted of an audio-recorded, semi-structured in-depth life history interview followed by a questionnaire and health survey. Qualitative interviews were analysed to discover users' harm reduction beliefs and cannabis substitution practices.
resultsStudy participants described using cannabis as a safer alternative for alcohol, illicit drugs and pharmaceuticals based on their perceptions of less adverse side effects, low-risk for addiction and greater effectiveness at relieving symptoms, such as chronic pain. DISCUSSION AND
conclusionsCannabis substitution can be an effective harm reduction method for those who are unable or unwilling to stop using drugs completely. More research is needed on cannabis as a safer alternative.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.