Research in the area of pharmacological treatment for cannabis use disorder is scarce. In a recent study, conducted between May 2014 and August 2015, cannabidiol (CBD) was tested as a possible treatment. The phase 2a, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized adaptive Bayesian trial was conducted at the Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit (University College London, London UK). Participants (n=48) who met the DSM-5 criteria for cannabis use disorder received either 200mg, 400 mg, or 800 mg of CBD in stage 1, to evaluate which doses were efficacious. In stage 2, new participants (n=36) received either 400mg CBD (n=12), 800 mg CBD (n=11), or placebo (n=11). Compared with placebo, 400 mg CBD decreased THC-COOH:creatinine ratio by -94.21 ng/mL (95% interval estimate -161.83 to -35.56) and increased abstinence from cannabis by 0.48 days per week (0·15 to 0·82). Compared with placebo, 800 mg CBD decreased THC-COOH:creatinine ratio by -75.02 ng/mL (-135.47 to -19.52) and increased abstinence from cannabis by 0.27 days per week (-0.09 to 0.64). Results suggest that CBD may be a safe and effective treatment for cannabis use disorder, however future research is needed.
Reference:
Freeman et al. The Lancet Psychiatry 2020; Epub ahead of print. Abstract
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