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Overview of Current State-of-the-Art Treatments for Cannabis Use Disorders, and Future Directions

  • Cannabis (J Cousijn, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Background

As policy responses to cannabis use and availability change internationally, the prevalence of cannabis use disorder (CUD) and the number of individuals seeking treatment for cannabis-related problems may increase.

Purpose of the Review

Our aim was to provide a narrative review of developments in the treatment of CUD over the past 5 years, including findings of a recent meta-analysis on psychosocial interventions and adjunctive pharmacotherapies for the management of cannabis withdrawal and CUD. Identification of key knowledge gaps and recommendations for further studies will also be addressed.

Recent Findings

Multiple behavioral interventions, particularly those involving motivational enhancement and cognitive behavioral therapies and their combination, appear helpful for CUD. As yet, there is no evidence-based pharmacotherapy in treating cannabis withdrawal and CUD. Preliminary results for some drugs, particularly agonists, are promising but require further extensive investigation.

Summary

Despite the prevalence and impact of CUD, the evidence base for treatments is not strong, and standardization of measures and endpoints in future randomized controlled trials of psychosocial and pharmacological agents is needed.

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Acknowledgments

The National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health 2007–2016.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Jan Copeland, Izabella Pokorski & Lisa Gibson

  2. Cannabis Information and Support, PO Box 257, St Ives, NSW, 2075, Australia

    Jan Copeland

  3. Brain Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Izabella Pokorski

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  1. Jan Copeland
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  2. Izabella Pokorski
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  3. Lisa Gibson
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Correspondence to Jan Copeland.

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Conflicts of Interest

Izabella Pokorski and Lisa Gibson declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Jan Copeland declares grants from the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre. She received in-kind contribution of Sativex from GW Pharmaceuticals for a National Health and Medical Research Council-funded clinical trial.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Cannabis

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Copeland, J., Pokorski, I. & Gibson, L. Overview of Current State-of-the-Art Treatments for Cannabis Use Disorders, and Future Directions. Curr Addict Rep 4, 82–89 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-017-0151-1

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