LABORATORY EXPOSURE TO COCAINE CUES DOES NOT INCREASE COCAINE USE BY OUTPATIENT SUBJECTS

Sixty-nine cocaine-dependent outpatients were exposed to cocaine-relat ed stimuli and to nondrug events on separate days. Cocaine cue session s were always followed by a meeting with a trained clinician designed to eliminate any craving that remained following cue presentations. Ur ine samples were collected before each laboratory session and 1 to 3 d ays later. Neither rates of cocaine use nor average urine metabolite v alues differed following the two sessions. Nearly 90% of subjects had the same urine test result both before and after the cocaine cue sessi on. Thus, laboratory presentation of cocaine cues to outpatient subjec ts did not increase their risk of subsequent drug-faking. These result s suggest that with proper clinical protections, cue exposure Can be u sed as a treatment outcome measure and a behavioral intervention in ou tpatient settings without increasing the risk of drug use. (C) 1998 El sevier Science Inc.