In March 2024, Bristol ESG were asked to undertake a systematic review of the evidence for the effectiveness and safety of psychosocial interventions for the treatment of cannabis use disorder. The review was funded by the NIHR Evidence Synthesis Programme (project number: NIHR167862) and is one of four projects allocated to Bristol ESG examining the effects and safety of psychosocial or pharmacological interventions for the treatment of drug use disorders.
The review is registered with PROSPERO: CRD42024553382
Project status: completed
What is the problem?
Cannabis is commonly used worldwide as a recreational drug. Cannabis use disorder is a condition characterized by frequent use, craving and inability to stop using cannabis even when it is causing physical or psychological problems for the user. This condition has become much more common during the past three decades and this has led to an increase in the number of people seeking treatment for it. At present, there are no medicines approved to help people recover from cannabis use disorder. Therefore psychosocial treatments (such as talking therapies or giving people rewards for staying in treatment) are currently the first choice of treatment.
What did we do?
We systematically searched the existing literature to find studies that have assessed psychosocial treatments for cannabis use disorder. We then assessed which treatments (or combination of treatments) work better for people with cannabis use disorder. We also wanted to assess which of these treatments provide the best value for money.
What did we find?
We found 22 relevant studies involving over 3,000 people with cannabis use disorder. Potentially helpful treatments were talking therapies that help change negative thinking patterns or focus on managing emotions and accepting difficult feelings. They helped people stop using cannabis or reduce how often they used cannabis. Adding a system of rewards (such as prizes, or vouchers) for staying off cannabis also showed some potential for helping people quit. These findings are not very strong because many of the studies only included a small number of people, and had additional problems that might mean the results are biased. We need more reliable studies to be sure which psychosocial treatments work best. The knowledge generated by this review can help policy makers in the UK to improve provision of treatment for people with cannabis use disorder.
Publications
Halicka M, Parkhouse TL, Webster KE, Spiga F, Hines LA, Freeman T, Sanghera S, Dawson S, Paterson C, Savović J, Higgins JPT, & Caldwell DM. Effectiveness and safety of psychosocial interventions for the treatment of cannabis use disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Preprint available from: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.11.18.24317475
Contact: bristol-esg@bristol.ac.uk
