MEMO-Medical Marijuana and Opioids Study

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Status: Completed

Conditions: Chronic Pain; Opioid Use; HIV/AIDS; Marijuana

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT03268551

2017-7857

1R01DA044171-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study will examine how medical cannabis use affects opioid analgesic use over time, with particular attention to THC/CBD content, HIV outcomes, and severe adverse events.

Full description

The overarching goal of the study is to understand how medical cannabis use affects opioid analgesic use over time, with particular attention to THC/CBD content, HIV outcomes, and adverse events. The study will include a cohort of 250 HIV+ and HIV- adults with (a) severe or chronic pain, (b) opioid analgesic use, and (c) new certification for medical cannabis. Over 18 months, participants will have 7 in-person visits every 3 months and 39 web-based questionnaires every 2 weeks. Data sources will include questionnaires; medical, pharmacy, and Prescription Monitoring Program records; and urine and blood samples. Over each 2-week time period (unit of analysis), the primary exposure measure will be number of days of medical cannabis use, and the primary outcome measure will be cumulative opioid analgesic dose. Qualitative interviews will also be conducted with a subgroup of 30 participants to explore perceptions of how medical cannabis use affects opioid analgesic use. Qualitative findings will help understand the reasons underlying the findings of the cohort study.

Enrollment: 257 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• At least 18 years of age
• English or Spanish fluency
• New certification for medical cannabis within 90 days
• No medical cannabis use in the 6 months prior to certification
• Medical cannabis qualifying complication of "chronic or severe pain"
• Use of prescribed or illicit opioid analgesics within 30 days

Exclusion criteria

• Inability to provide informed consent
• Inability to complete study visits over 18 months
• Qualifying conditions for medical cannabis in NY that are likely to cause unique pain syndromes (cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, Hungtington's disease)
• Terminal illness
• Current or prior psychotic disorder