A randomized controlled trial of brief cognitive-behavioral interventions for cannabis use disorder

The increasing demand for treatment for cannabis dependence in Australia an d internationally has led to the identification of significant gaps in know ledge of effective interventions. A randomized controlled trial of brief co gnitive-behavioral interventions (CBT) for cannabis dependence was undertak en to address this issue. A total of 229 participants were assessed and ran domly assigned to either a six-session CBT program (6CBT), a single-session CBT intervention (ICBT), or a delayed-treatment control (DTC) group. Parti cipants were assisted in acquiring skills to promote cannabis cessation and maintenance of abstinence. Participants were followed-up a median of 237 d ays after last attendance. Participants in the treatment groups reported be tter treatment outcomes than the DTC group. They were more likely to report abstinence, were significantly less concerned about their control over can nabis use, and reported significantly fewer cannabis-related problems than those in the DTC group. Those in the 6CBT group also reported more signific antly reduced levels of cannabis consumption than the DTC group. While the therapist variable had no effect on any outcome, a secondary analysis of th e 6CBT and ICBT groups showed that treatment compliance was significantly a ssociated with decreased dependence and cannabis-related problems. This stu dy supports the attractiveness and effectiveness of individual CBT interven tions for cannabis use disorders and the need for multisite replication tri als. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.