Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38502206›Full record

ArticleEuropean archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience2025

Does cannabis use substitute for opioids? A preliminary exploratory survey in opioid maintenance patients.

Nina Kim Bekier, Ulrich Frischknecht, Katharina Eidenmueller, Franz Grimm, Patrick Bach, Manuel Stenger, Falk Kiefer, Derik Hermann

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Nina Kim Bekier *Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Square J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany. nina.kroeher@googlemail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-9662-7242
Ulrich Frischknecht *Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Square J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
Katharina EidenmuellerDepartment of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Square J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
Franz GrimmDepartment of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Square J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
Patrick BachDepartment of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Square J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
Manuel StengerDepartment of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Square J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
Falk KieferDepartment of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Square J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
Derik Hermann *Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Square J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Various studies showed that people with substance use disorder use cannabis to reduce withdrawal or dose of their main drug. Using a questionnaire about their cannabis use, 118 participants in an opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) in Germany were examined regarding this strategy. 60% reported to use cannabis. Of those, 72% were using cannabis in the suggested way. Cannabis was used to substitute for, e.g., heroin (44.8%) and benzodiazepines (16.4%). We also asked for an estimation of how good cannabis was able to substitute for several substances (in German school grades (1 till 6)); heroin average grade: 2.6 ± 1.49. Besides that we asked about the idea of cannabis as "self-medication", e.g., to reduce pain (47%) and about negative consequences from cannabis use. Our results suggest to consider the use of cannabis by patients in OMT rather as a harm reduction strategy to reduce the intake of more dangerous drugs.

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidMedical MarijuanaOpiate Substitution TreatmentOpioid-Related DisordersAdultFemaleGermanyHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultAnalgesics, OpioidMedical MarijuanaCannabisMethadoneOMTOpioid addictionOpioid maintenance treatment

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.