A group cessation program helped people quit both cannabis and tobacco at the same time | Research

The takeaway

A group-based program using motivational interviewing and CBT achieved 23% abstinence from cigarettes, cannabis, or both at 6-month follow-up among 77 co-smokers.

Read this if you smoke both cannabis and tobacco and are thinking about quitting.

23.4% abstinent from at least one substance at 6-month follow-up

What the researchers found

Researchers tested a group cessation program for people who used both cannabis weekly and tobacco daily. The program ran five to six sessions using motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and self-control training. Of 77 participants, 62.3% completed treatment.

At the end of treatment, 41.5% reported abstinence from cigarettes, cannabis, or both. At 6-month follow-up, 23.4% maintained abstinence from at least one substance. Individual rates at follow-up were 10.4% for cigarettes and 19.5% for cannabis. Dual abstinence validated by biochemical testing was achieved by 5.2% at follow-up.

Participants also showed improvements in depression, anxiety, drinking problems, cannabis use disorder symptoms, and nicotine dependence over the study period. Only three participants discontinued due to severe side effects.

Why it matters

Cannabis and tobacco are frequently used together, but most cessation programs target only one substance. This study demonstrated that addressing both simultaneously is feasible, with acceptable retention rates and mental health improvements, supporting the case for larger controlled trials.

The numbers in context

77 participants enrolled. Target sample recruited within 9 months. 62.3% treatment retention. 41.5% abstinent from at least one substance post-treatment. 23.4% abstinent at 6-month follow-up. 5.2% achieved validated dual abstinence at follow-up.

How the study worked

Open-label feasibility study using a repeated-measures design with pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up assessments. The intervention included 5-6 group sessions based on motivational interviewing, CBT, and self-control training for 77 adults who smoked cannabis weekly and tobacco daily.

What this study cannot tell us

No control group, so improvements cannot be attributed specifically to the intervention. Self-reported abstinence was only partially validated biochemically. The sample was self-selected, which likely overestimates treatment effects compared to the general population.

How to read the evidence

Feasibility study without a control group. Results are promising but need confirmation through a randomized controlled trial.

When this study was published

Published in 2015. Subsequent RCTs may have tested similar dual-cessation approaches.

The bigger picture

Many cannabis users also smoke tobacco, and the two habits reinforce each other. Programs that address both substances together could be more effective than treating them separately, but this approach needs validation through randomized controlled trials.

Questions still open

Would a randomized controlled trial confirm these results? Is addressing both substances simultaneously more effective than sequential approaches? Which component of the intervention (MI, CBT, or self-control training) contributed most?

Common questions

Can you quit cannabis and tobacco at the same time?

This study suggests it is feasible. A group program achieved 23% abstinence from at least one substance at 6 months, and participants showed mental health improvements. But the study lacked a control group.

What techniques did the program use?

The program combined motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and self-control training in 5-6 group sessions, addressing both cannabis and tobacco use simultaneously.

Read the original research

Feasibility of a group cessation program for co-smokers of cannabis and tobacco.

Drug and alcohol review, 34(4), 418-26

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Becker, Julia; Haug, Severin; Kraemer, Thomas; Schaub, Michael P. (2015). Feasibility of a group cessation program for co-smokers of cannabis and tobacco.. Drug and alcohol review, 34(4), 418-26. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.12244