Cannabis use is associated with a lower risk of exposure to fentanyl among people receiving opioid agonist therapy during the community-wide overdose crisis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108420

Commentary

This study assessed the longitudinal association between cannabis use and exposure to fentanyl in people receiving opioid agonist therapy. Preliminary, observational, and experimental studies suggest that cannabis may have the potential to reduce opioid use in patients suffering from chronic pain.

The data analyzed used generalized linear mixed-effects modeling adjusted for relevant confounders to investigate the relationship between cannabis use and recent fentanyl exposure (both assessed by urine drug testing) among two community-recruited prospective cohorts of people who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada, OAT participants from 2016-2018.

The 819 participants in OAT had common fentanyl exposure, with fentanyl detected in 53% of participants in the baseline interview, and a low prevalence of individuals with urine drug tests positive for tetrahydrocannabinol. Across all study interviews, cannabis use was associated with a decreased likelihood of recent exposure to fentanyl.