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. 2022 Feb:100:103518.
doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103518. Epub 2021 Nov 7.

Psychedelic use is associated with reduced daily opioid use among people who use illicit drugs in a Canadian setting

Elena Argento  1 , M Eugenia Socias  1 , Kanna Hayashi  2 , JinCheol Choi  3 , Lindsay Mackay  4 , Devon Christie  4 , M-J Milloy  1 , Kora DeBeck  5
Affiliations

Psychedelic use is associated with reduced daily opioid use among people who use illicit drugs in a Canadian setting

Elena Argento et al. Int J Drug Policy. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Research into the therapeutic and naturalistic uses of psychedelics for improving outcomes related to mental health disorders has generated increasing interest in recent years. While controlled clinical trials of psychedelics have signaled benefits for treating substance use disorders, this area has not been well studied in the context of naturalistic psychedelic use. This study sought to investigate the possible relationship between recent naturalistic psychedelic use and subsequent daily illicit opioid use among people who use drugs (PWUD).

Methods: Data (2006-2018) were drawn from three harmonized prospective cohorts of community-recruited PWUD in Vancouver, Canada. We used multivariable generalized linear mixed-effects modeling (GLMM) to estimate the independent association between psychedelic use and subsequent daily illicit opioid use.

Results: Among 3813 PWUD at baseline, 1093 (29%) reported daily use of illicit opioids and 229 (6%) reported psychedelic use in the past six months. Over study follow-up after adjusting for a range of potential confounders, psychedelic use remained independently associated with a significantly reduced odds of subsequent daily opioid use (Adjusted Odds Ratio: 0.45; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.29 to 0.70).

Conclusion: While confirmation in other settings is required, these findings align with growing evidence that psychedelic use may be associated with detectable reductions in subsequent substance use including illicit opioid use.

Keywords: Mental health; Opioid use; Psychedelics; Substance use disorders.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations of Interest Drs. Argento, Mackay and Christie are consultants to Numinus Wellness, a Canadian mental health company interested in the use of psychedelics for medical purposes. Numinus Wellness was not involved in the collection of data, the writing of this manuscript, or the decision to submit findings for publication. M-J Milloy is the Canopy Growth professor of cannabis science at the University of British Columbia, a position created by unstructured gifts to the university from Canopy Growth, a licensed producer of cannabis, and the Government of British Columbia's Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions. The University of British Columbia has also received unstructured funding from NG Biomed Ltd to support him.

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