Counseling Plus Nabiximols Worked Best for Cannabis Use Disorder Treatment
In a cannabis use disorder trial, counseling attendance was the strongest predictor of abstinence, while nabiximols reduced dropout and a 50%+ reduction in use was seen in patients with longer use histories.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Greater counseling attendance predicted both abstinence and 50%+ reduction in cannabis use. Nabiximols increased odds of 50%+ reduction, improved counseling attendance, and reduced treatment dropout. Longer duration of regular cannabis use predicted better outcomes. Males attended less counseling, and sleep problems predicted worse outcomes.
Key Numbers
128 participants; 12-week trial; counseling predicted abstinence; nabiximols reduced dropout; longer use history predicted better outcomes; males attended less counseling
How They Did This
Secondary analysis of a 12-week randomized placebo-controlled trial of nabiximols for CUD (128 participants). Bayesian multiple regression examined the impact of client and treatment factors on engagement and outcomes.
Why This Research Matters
Understanding what predicts treatment success helps clinicians tailor cannabis use disorder treatment. The finding that counseling combined with agonist therapy is optimal mirrors approaches used for opioid use disorder.
The Bigger Picture
Just as methadone and buprenorphine plus counseling work for opioid use disorder, nabiximols plus counseling may represent an effective pharmacotherapy model for cannabis use disorder.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Secondary analysis. Correlates of treatment success do not prove causal mechanisms. Sample size limits the number of predictors that can be reliably examined.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would longer treatment duration improve outcomes further?
- ?Could digital counseling address the lower attendance among male patients?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Counseling + nabiximols was the optimal combination
- Evidence Grade:
- Secondary analysis of a well-designed RCT, but limited by sample size and exploratory nature of the analysis.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2022
- Original Title:
- Correlates of treatment engagement and client outcomes: results of a randomised controlled trial of nabiximols for the treatment of cannabis use disorder.
- Published In:
- Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 17(1), 67 (2022)
- Authors:
- Mills, Llewellyn(9), Dunlop, Adrian(4), Montebello, Mark(4), Copeland, Jan, Bruno, Raimondo, Jefferies, Meryem, Mcgregor, Iain, Lintzeris, Nicholas
- Database ID:
- RTHC-04066
Evidence Hierarchy
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or placebo groups to test cause and effect.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best treatment for cannabis use disorder?
This study found the combination of counseling and nabiximols (a cannabinoid medication) produced the best outcomes. Counseling attendance was the strongest predictor of achieving abstinence.
Does nabiximols help with quitting cannabis?
Nabiximols improved odds of reducing cannabis use by 50%+, increased counseling attendance, and reduced treatment dropout. It appears to stabilize patients enough to engage with behavioral therapy.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-04066APA
Mills, Llewellyn; Dunlop, Adrian; Montebello, Mark; Copeland, Jan; Bruno, Raimondo; Jefferies, Meryem; Mcgregor, Iain; Lintzeris, Nicholas. (2022). Correlates of treatment engagement and client outcomes: results of a randomised controlled trial of nabiximols for the treatment of cannabis use disorder.. Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 17(1), 67. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-022-00493-z
MLA
Mills, Llewellyn, et al. "Correlates of treatment engagement and client outcomes: results of a randomised controlled trial of nabiximols for the treatment of cannabis use disorder.." Substance abuse treatment, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-022-00493-z
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Correlates of treatment engagement and client outcomes: resu..." RTHC-04066. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/mills-2022-correlates-of-treatment-engagement
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.