Where Things Stand on Medications for Cannabis Use Disorder | Research

The takeaway

No medications are currently approved for cannabis use disorder, but several repurposed drugs and novel compounds targeting the endocannabinoid system show early promise.

Addiction treatment providers, researchers studying cannabis use disorder, anyone interested in CUD treatment options

0 FDA-approved medications for cannabis use disorder

What the researchers found

The pharmacologic treatment of CUD remains in its early stages with no FDA-approved options. Gabapentin, N-acetylcysteine, synthetic cannabinoids, FAAH inhibitors, orexin receptor antagonists, and psychedelics are all being explored. Most show modest efficacy at best, and progress depends on better integration with behavioral treatments.

Why it matters

As cannabis legalization expands and CUD prevalence grows, the lack of effective medications represents a significant treatment gap. Understanding which compounds are in the pipeline helps frame realistic expectations.

The numbers in context

No approved medications exist for CUD. Agents under investigation include gabapentin, N-acetylcysteine, synthetic cannabinoids, FAAH inhibitors, orexin receptor antagonists, and psychedelics. Most have shown only modest efficacy in trials to date.

How the study worked

Narrative review of PubMed, Google Scholar, and clinical trial registries from 2000 to 2025, focusing on human studies, randomized trials, and meta-analyses related to CUD pharmacotherapy.

What this study cannot tell us

Narrative review without systematic methodology. Most referenced trials have small sample sizes. The field is evolving rapidly, so some findings may already be outdated.

How to read the evidence

Moderate: comprehensive narrative review of current evidence, but limited by lack of systematic methodology and early-stage nature of most trials

When this study was published

Published in 2025 reviewing literature from 2000-2025

The bigger picture

CUD treatment lags far behind alcohol and opioid use disorder in terms of pharmacological options. The shift toward targeting endocannabinoid tone and motivational circuits rather than just withdrawal symptoms represents a conceptual advance.

Questions still open

Will FAAH inhibitors or orexin antagonists prove effective in larger trials? Can stratifying patients by clinical phenotype improve treatment matching?

Common questions

Are there any medications for cannabis addiction?

No medications are currently FDA-approved for cannabis use disorder. Several drugs are being tested, including gabapentin, N-acetylcysteine, and novel compounds targeting the endocannabinoid system, but none have shown strong enough results to earn approval yet.

What approaches look most promising?

Compounds targeting endocannabinoid tone (like FAAH inhibitors) and motivational circuits (like orexin antagonists) represent newer approaches that go beyond managing withdrawal symptoms. However, all are still in early research stages.

Read the original research

Emerging pharmacological strategies for the treatment of cannabis use disorder.

Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy, 26(13), 1373-1377

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Bahji, Anees. (2025). Emerging pharmacological strategies for the treatment of cannabis use disorder.. Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy, 26(13), 1373-1377. https://doi.org/10.1080/14656566.2025.2558999