TY - JOUR
T1 - Medical Cannabis as a Substitute for Prescription Agents
T2 - A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
AU - Charoenporn, Veevarin
AU - Charernboon, Thammanard
AU - Mackie, Clare J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Background: The present study examines the prevalence of medical cannabis as a substitute for prescription agents, and how medical cannabis use impacts the use of other prescription drugs. Methodology: Four main databases were searched including Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, and Global Health to identify studies that evaluate medical cannabis use as a substitute for prescription agents in adult participants using cannabis for medicinal purposes. Results: Of 493 studies identified, 27 relevant studies were included in the final analysis. The pooled percentage of the prevalence of substituting medical cannabis for one or more prescription drugs was 60.0% (95% CI; 50%–70%). Chronic pain and mental health conditions were prominent among the leading reasons for medical cannabis use. The most common substituted drug classes were narcotics/opioids, anxiolytics, and antidepressants. A majority supported that medical cannabis decreased prescription drug uses. Conclusions: People use medical cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs. Yet, despite rigorous self-reporting from patients who attribute their reduction or cessation of prescribed medication to the use of medicinal cannabis, most results are mainly drawn from observational studies. Few good-quality randomized controlled trials (RCT) explore cannabis substitution effects.
AB - Background: The present study examines the prevalence of medical cannabis as a substitute for prescription agents, and how medical cannabis use impacts the use of other prescription drugs. Methodology: Four main databases were searched including Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, and Global Health to identify studies that evaluate medical cannabis use as a substitute for prescription agents in adult participants using cannabis for medicinal purposes. Results: Of 493 studies identified, 27 relevant studies were included in the final analysis. The pooled percentage of the prevalence of substituting medical cannabis for one or more prescription drugs was 60.0% (95% CI; 50%–70%). Chronic pain and mental health conditions were prominent among the leading reasons for medical cannabis use. The most common substituted drug classes were narcotics/opioids, anxiolytics, and antidepressants. A majority supported that medical cannabis decreased prescription drug uses. Conclusions: People use medical cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs. Yet, despite rigorous self-reporting from patients who attribute their reduction or cessation of prescribed medication to the use of medicinal cannabis, most results are mainly drawn from observational studies. Few good-quality randomized controlled trials (RCT) explore cannabis substitution effects.
KW - cannabinoids
KW - Medical cannabis
KW - opioids
KW - prescription agents
KW - substitution therapy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85130174663&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/14659891.2022.2070870
DO - 10.1080/14659891.2022.2070870
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85130174663
SN - 1465-9891
JO - Journal of Substance Use
JF - Journal of Substance Use
ER -
