Recruiting
Phase 2

Tetrahydrocannabinol with Opioid Agonist Therapy

Sponsor:

BC Centre on Substance Use

Code:

NCT05985850

Conditions

Opioid Use Disorder

Methadone

Cannabis

Fentanyl

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 25+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Aurora 1:1 Drops (Indica)

Placebo

Study Details

Brief summary:

This pilot study will evaluate the feasibility and safety of using 1:1 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC):Cannabidiol (CBD) cannabis oil as an adjunct therapy to methadone-based Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) in a community setting.

Conditions

Opioid Use Disorder

Methadone

Cannabis

Fentanyl

Study ID

NCT05985850

Start date

May 23, 2024

Status verified date

Feb, 2025

Completion date

Mar, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Mar, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 25+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Individuals of at least 25 years of age or older;
2. Diagnosed with OUD as per DSM-5 criteria;
3. Initiated or re-initiated methadone-based OAT within the past 30 days prior to study entry;
4. Cannabis-use experienced, defined as having used any amount of cannabis in the six months prior to the screening visit;
5. Willing to only use study-provided cannabis as directed by study protocol, including abstention from non-study cannabis and cannabinoids;
6. Agree to keep all study medication stored in a secure location and not to share/distribute study medication to any other individual;
7. If assigned female sex at birth:

1. Be of non-childbearing potential, defined as (i) postmenopausal (12 months of spontaneous amenorrhea and over 45 years of age); or (ii) documented surgical sterilization (i.e., tubal ligation, hysterectomy, or bilateral oophorectomy); or
2. If of childbearing potential, be willing to use an acceptable method of contraception throughout the study and have a negative pregnancy test at screening;
8. Ability to understand and comply with study protocol procedures and to provide written informed consent.

Inclusion criteria for Phase 2

In addition to meeting all eligibility criteria outlined in Phase 1, participants will be eligible for Phase 2 provided they meet ALL the following criteria at Week 12:

1. Participants who have not experienced a study medication-related serious adverse event during Phase 1;
2. Participants who have not been lost to follow-up during Phase 1.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Any disabling, severe, or unstable medical or psychiatric condition that, in the opinion of the study physician, precludes safe participation in the study or the ability to provide fully informed consent, as assessed by medical and psychiatric history, physical examination, vital signs, and/or laboratory tests;
2. Any severe or unstable co-morbid substance use disorder (e.g., delirium tremens, acute alcohol intoxication) that, in the opinion of the study physician, precludes safe participation in the study;
3. Currently pregnant or breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant;
4. Known or suspected allergy or hypersensitivity to cannabinoids;
5. History of respiratory disease, severe cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, renal or liver disease;
6. Current or historic cannabis use disorder;
7. Taking warfarin, clopidogrel, clobazam, theophylline, clozapine and olanzapine medications as they may interact with cannabinoids in a clinically significant manner if they cannot be switched to a different medication;
8. Any personal or family history (first degree relative) of primary psychotic disorders (i.e., schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder) as per DSM-5 criteria;
9. Unable to abstain from driving any vehicle or operating machinery for at least 10 hours after taking the study medication. In cases where impairment persists beyond the initial 10-hour period, participants must continue to adhere to these restrictions until the impairment resolves;
10. Actively participating in other interventional clinical trial(s);
11. Incarcerated, pending legal action or other reasons that might prevent completion of the study.

Study Design

Enrollment

24 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Aurora 1:1 Drops (Indica)

Aurora 1:1 Drops (Indica)

Balanced 1:1 ratio of THC and CBD packaged in a 30 mL bottle:

THC: 16.8 mg/g (+/- 15%) CBD: 16.8 mg/g (+/- 15%)

Induction and dosing will be ad libitum and sublingually self-administered. Initial dose will be 5 mg (equivalent to 0.25 mL)/day and participants will be able to titrate in increments of 2.5mg (0.125 mL)/day up to a maximum of 40 mg (2 mL)/day, in consultation with a study physician.

placebo comparator: Placebo

Formulated using the same medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil as Aurora 1:1 Drops (Indica)

Induction and dosing will be ad libitum and sublingually self-administered. Initial dose will be 5 mg (equivalent to 0.25 mL)/day and participants will be able to titrate in increments of 2.5mg (0.125 mL)/day up to a maximum of 40 mg (2 mL)/day, in consultation with a study physician.

Interventions

Aurora 1:1 Drops (Indica)

Aurora 1:1 Drops (Indica) is created by extracting cannabinoids and terpenes and the concentrated extract is then diluted in medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil for optimal use.

Placebo

Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil with the same appearance, color, and taste as the Aurora 1:1 Drops (Indica).

Primary outcome measure

  • Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events [Safety and Tolerability] [ Time Frame: 28 weeks ]
  • Risk of Treatment Contamination [ Time Frame: 24 weeks ]
  • Participants' adherence to treatment [ Time Frame: 24 weeks ]
  • Acceptability [ Time Frame: 24 weeks ]
  • Blinding effectiveness [ Time Frame: 24 weeks ]
  • Adequacy of Dose [ Time Frame: 24 weeks ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

Rapid Access Addiction Clinic (RAAC), St. Paul's Hospital

Recruiting

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6Z 1Y6

Contacts

M. Eugenia Socias, MD, MSc

eugenia.socias@bccsu.ubc.ca

Principal Investigator:

Sukhpreet Klaire, MD CCFP (AM)

More Information

Sponsor

BC Centre on Substance Use

Last update posted

Feb 17, 2025

Last verified

Feb, 2025

Keywords

  • addiction
  • Opioid Use Disorder
  • Cannabis
  • Harm Reduction
  • Opioid
  • Pain
  • Quality of Life
  • Cannabidiol

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by BC Centre on Substance Use on 2025-02-17.