Medical Cannabis and Psychological Well-Being in Illinois' Opioid Alternative Pilot Program

In Illinois, the Opioid Alternative Pilot Program was implemented to provide individuals access to medical cannabis as a direct substitute for opioids. Despite medical cannabis being frequently used for mental health symptoms, little is known about medical cannabis' role on overall psychological well-being. Hence, the objective of this study is to examine the association of medical cannabis use with psychological well-being among the first Opioid Alternative Pilot Program cohort.

A survey was sent from February-July 2019 to those who enrolled in the Opioid Alternative Pilot Program. Cannabis users (n=626) were compared with nonusers (n=234) to determine whether there was an association between cannabis use within the past year and psychological well-being. Psychological well-being was measured on a scale of 1-5 (1 being poor and 5 being excellent). Backward stepwise regression models were used. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted to determine whether there was an association between regular cannabis use (using 3 or more times a week) and no cannabis use.

The study sample included 860 participants. The average age was 47 (SD=14.2) years; 60% of the cohort was male; 72% were not of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin; 67% were married; and 67% of cannabis users reported having a disability. The average perceived psychological well-being was 3.18 (SD=0.94) (good), with no statistically significant difference in psychological well-being between the 2 groups (users: 3.21 [SD=1.01]; nonusers: 3.12 [SD=0.71]; p=0.18).

In this cohort of Opioid Alternative Pilot Program participants, there was no clinically meaningful difference in psychological well-being between cannabis users and nonusers.