Cannabis Research Studies Updates: December’s Healer Webinar

In this year’s final installment of the monthly webinar series, Dustin Sulak, osteopathic physician and general practitioner, discussed the latest research on cannabis for various topics and conditions, including use with opioids, substance use recovery, alcohol use, and autism in adults. Two additional studies in the webinar focused on psychedelics, though this article focuses on the studies that involve cannabis without psychedelics.

How Does CBD Affect Hydromorphone?

The first study discussed in the webinar was, “A within-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized evaluation of the combined effects of cannabidiol and hydromorphone in a human laboratory pain model,” published in PAIN in September 2025.

This study aimed to evaluate whether CBD could increase the pain-relieving effects of opioids and if there are increases in other effects from opioids. Thirty-one healthy participants were given various drug conditions, including low and high doses of CBD alongside hydromorphone. The participants completed laboratory models of pain and assessments for drug effects. Ultimately, lower doses of CBD did enhance the analgesic effects of hydromorphone in some doses and conditions, including psychomotor impairment, without negative effects seen in higher doses of CBD.

Dr. Sulak noted that THC and CBD may play a similar role with opioid use. “I don't expect that we're going to find [CBD’s] role in potentiating opioids is as profound as the role of THC,” he explained. “But the nice thing is, they can go together. So when recommending cannabis as an adjunct to opioids, I think THC is very important, but probably a balanced or blended THC CBD combination would be a good idea.”

The Role of Cannabis in Substance Use recovery

The second study, “Medical Cannabis Use Adjunct to Standard of Care in a Residential Substance Use Recovery Program: A Pilot Study,” was published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs in October 2025.

This qualitative study involved 14 participants in a residential substance use recovery program over three months who were given medical cannabis treatment in addition to standard care. Staff interviews were also included. The participants reported that the cannabis substitution program showed potential for reducing other substance use by reducing cravings and pain. The importance of education and an accessible program framework was also noted.

Dr. Sulak stated that cannabis is an underutilized tool for reducing substance use. “I think it's a good idea for people that have had success using cannabis to help with the use of other substances to talk about that, to share that with people and not hide it,” he explained. “And I think for clinicians and for other people that are in a position to help, it can be useful to remove the stigma and just bring it up.”

Can Cannabis Reduce Alcohol Cravings?

The next study, “Acute Effects of Cannabis on Alcohol Craving and Consumption: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial,” was published in American Journal of Psychiatry in November 2025.

In this study, 157 participants who reported heavy alcohol use smoked cannabis cigarettes containing 7.2% THC, 3.1% THC, or a placebo of 0.03% THC, then were exposed to neutral and personalized alcohol cues. The main result from the study was a reduction in alcohol consumption after smoking the cigarettes containing THC, compared to placebo.

Dr. Sulak stated that the findings were not profound, but did lead to meaningful questions. “The question is, how can we use cannabis strategically as a tool to help people that have this challenge?” he stated. “This is the first placebo controlled randomized trial of cannabis is acute effects on alcohol craving and consumption in heavy drinkers, and the findings do support the substitution model of cannabis and alcohol co use. Now, what's the mechanism here? Maybe it's satiation.”

Cannabis and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

The final study, “Acute effects of cannabis on core and co-occurring features associated with autism spectrum disorder in adults,” was published in Scientific Reports in November 2025, and was co-authored by Carrie Cuttler, PhD.

Here, researchers analyzed data from 111 self-identified autistic adults, tracking symptom changes before and after using different strains and doses of cannabis. Symptoms included sensory sensitivity, repetitive behaviors, mental control, and negative affect. Overall, the severity of symptoms was reduced by 73.09% after cannabis use, with more severe symptoms resulting in a greater reduction in severity. The results from this empirical study indicated that cannabis could provide temporary relief from ASD symptoms, the researchers concluded.

“These were short term improvements,” Dr. Sulak explained. “If you look at what happens before and after the cannabis session, you see this drastic improvement. But if you look at before the cannabis session, from their first logging session to their second to their third, and over months or years, you don't really see the baseline symptoms improving. That kind of makes sense to me, because typically, inhaled cannabis is known for short term relief. It's not really known for preventing symptoms.”