ArticleAddiction (Abingdon, England)2018
High-intensity cannabis use is associated with retention in opioid agonist treatment: a longitudinal analysis.
Article in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
44 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Self-reported cannabis use to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms and reductions in opioid use among people who use unregulated opioids: a cross-sectional analysis.Journal of cannabis research · 2026Article
- Retention among Medicaid beneficiaries in opioid treatment programs in California.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2026Article
- 'It wasn't to get high; it was just to get by': experiences of patients who use fentanyl during methadone treatment and opportunities for improving care in Vermont and New Hampshire.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- Longitudinal polysubstance use patterns and non-fatal overdose: A repeated measures latent class analysis.The International journal on drug policy · 2025Article
- Clinicians' Perspectives on Cannabis Use and Cannabis Treatment in Clients Undertaking Opioid Dependence Treatment.Drug and alcohol review · 2025Article
- Cannabis Use in Opioid Maintenance Therapy: Prevalence, Clinical Correlates and Reasons for Use.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Conceptualizing 'cannabis harm reduction': lessons learned from cannabis compassion clubs and medical dispensaries in British Columbia (Canada).Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Cannabis use and illicit opioid cessation among people who use drugs living with chronic pain.Drug and alcohol review · 2025Article
- Opioid agonist therapy discontinuation in British Columbia: a cross-sectional study of people who access harm reduction services.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Chronic pain among primary fentanyl users: The concept of self-medication.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2025Article
- "Like the Wild West": Health care provider perspectives on impacts of recreational cannabis legalization on patients and providers at a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Ontario, Canada.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2024Article
- Are gaps in rates of retention on buprenorphine for treatment of opioid use disorder closing among veterans across different races and ethnicities? A retrospective cohort study.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2024Article
- "Smoking weed it gets you over the hump": Cannabis co-use as a facilitator of decreased opioid use among people who inject drugs in Los Angeles, California.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2024Article
- The Role of Medicinal Cannabis as an Emerging Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder.Pain and therapy · 2024Review
- Denial of prescription pain medication among people who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- The Association Between Self-Reported Anxiety and Retention in Opioid Agonist Therapy: Findings From a Canadian Pragmatic Trial.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2024Article
- The Impact of Longitudinal Substance Use Patterns on the Risk of Opioid Agonist Therapy Discontinuation: A Repeated Measures Latent Class Analysis.International journal of mental health and addiction · 2024Article
- Implications of Cannabis Legalization on Substance-Related Benefits and Harms for People Who Use Opioids: A Canadian Perspective.Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2023Article
- Food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada.Public health nutrition · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsCannabis use is common among people on opioid agonist treatment (OAT), causing concern for some care providers. However, there is limited and conflicting evidence on the impact of cannabis use on OAT outcomes. Given the critical role of retention in OAT in reducing opioid-related morbidity and mortality, we aimed to estimate the association of at least daily cannabis use on the likelihood of retention in treatment among people initiating OAT. As a secondary aim we tested the impacts of less frequent cannabis use.
designData were drawn from two community-recruited prospective cohorts of people who use illicit drugs (PWUD). Participants were followed for a median of 81 months (interquartile range = 37-130).
settingVancouver, Canada.
participantsThis study comprised a total of 820 PWUD (57.8% men, 59.4% of Caucasian ethnicity, 32.2% HIV-positive) initiating OAT between December 1996 and May 2016. The proportion of women was higher among HIV-negative participants, with no other significant differences. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was retention in OAT, defined as remaining in OAT (methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone-based) for two consecutive 6-month follow-up periods. The primary explanatory variable was cannabis use (at least daily versus less than daily) during the same 6-month period. Confounders assessed included: socio-demographic characteristics, substance use patterns and social-structural exposures.
findingsIn adjusted analysis, at least daily cannabis use was positively associated with retention in OAT [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04-1.41]. Our secondary analysis showed that compared with non-cannabis users, at least daily users had increased odds of retention in OAT (aOR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.02-1.43), but not less than daily users (aOR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.87-1.14).
conclusionsAmong people who use illicit drugs initiating opioid agonist treatment in Vancouver, at least daily cannabis use was associated with approximately 21% greater odds of retention in treatment compared with less than daily consumption.
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