People with substance abuse disorders (SUDs), even if they are fully-vaccinated, are proving more susceptible to breakthrough COVID cases, according to a new study published by World Psychology last week.
SUDs include a dependence on alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, opioids and/or tobacco.
Vaccinated people who don’t suffer from an SUD can expert to have about a 3.6% chance of contracting a breakthrough case of COVID. Those odds double to 7% though for those with SUDs.
The highest risk was observed in people who are heavily dependent on smoking cannabis. Heavy marijuana smokers saw their risk of a breakthrough infection climb to 7.8, the highest rate of all the SUDs observed.
"Patients with cannabis use disorder, who were younger and had less comorbidities than the other SUD subtypes, had higher risk for breakthrough infection even after they were matched for adverse socioeconomic determinants of health and comorbid medical conditions with non-SUD patients," the study said. "Additional variables, such as behavioral factors or adverse effects of cannabis on pulmonary and immune function, could contribute to the higher risk for breakthrough infection in this group."
Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse spearheaded the study, and they noted that, even among drug users, the rate of breakthrough cases was far lower than the rate of cases affecting the unvaccinated population.
"First and foremost, vaccination is highly effective for people with substance use disorders, and the overall risk of COVID-19 among vaccinated people with substance use disorders is very low," NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow, one of the study's lead authors, said in a statement.
"We must continue to encourage and facilitate COVID-19 vaccination among people with substance use disorders, while also acknowledging that even after vaccination, this group is at an increased risk and should continue to take protective measures against COVID-19."
Morgan Fox, media relations director for the National Cannabis Industry Association made note to Newsweek that the study’s scope was "limited to individuals with problematic cannabis consumption patterns” and that responsible marijuana users were not included in the study.
"This study is limited to people with 'substance use disorder' which is a very small subset of cannabis consumers," Fox said.
"This is merely correlation and does not show a causal relationship ...
individual behavior patterns and social conditions may be a major contributing factor above and beyond simply exhibiting problematic substance use patterns, such as lack of access to reliable information, sharing joints, etc.
"Clearly more study is welcome and necessary, but it is important not to overstate or misrepresent the very inconclusive results presented in this particular research and ensure that cannabis consumers are accurately informed about what the newest research actually indicates," added Fox.
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