Canada has passed legislation that will lead to legalization of cannabis for recreational use. Researchers disagree about the public health effects that legalization will have. Alexandra M. Franklyn and her coinvestigators at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, designed their study to look at one population that might be at risk of cannabis-related harms.
Doug Menuez/thinkstock
Of 644 patients, 328 (50.9%) were baseline cannabis users. Baseline users were 38.9% more likely to drop out of OAT. Heavy cannabis users (n = 256; 39.8%) were 48.1% more likely to drop out of OAT than those who weren’t heavy users. Heavy users are “a group that should be carefully monitored throughout treatment,” regardless of whether the cannabis use can be considered another substance use disorder or if it is intended to self-medicate another condition that may make dropout more likely, Ms. Franklyn and her colleagues concluded.
“While studies have shown a potential for cannabis legalization to be a positive change for the population as a whole, there may be unique implications for those patients receiving OAT. ... These patients should receive education surrounding the potential harms of cannabis use, including worsened OAT outcomes,” the researchers wrote (PLoS One. 2017 Nov 8;12[11]:e0187633).
Neither Ms. Franklyn nor her colleagues had conflicts of interest to disclose.