Opioid use in medical cannabis authorization adult patients from 2013 to 2018: Alberta, Canada.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The opioid overdose epidemic in Canada and the United States has become a public health crisis - with exponential increases in opioid-related morbidity and mortality. Recently, there has been an increasing body of evidence focusing on the opioid-sparing effects of medical cannabis use (reduction of opioid use and reliance), and medical cannabis as a potential alternative treatment for chronic pain. The objective of this study is to assess the effect of medical cannabis authorization on opioid use (oral morphine equivalent; OME) between 2013 and 2018 in Alberta, Canada.

Methods

All adult patients defined as chronic opioid users who were authorized medical cannabis by their health care provider in Alberta, Canada from 2013 to 2018 were propensity score matched to no

SUBMITTER: Lee C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8088205 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature