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22 - Treatment of cannabis dependence

from Part III - Specific treatments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 May 2010

By
Brent A. Moore ,
Henrietta Bowden-Jones ,
Alan J. Budney  and
Ryan Vandrey
Edited by
Peter Tyrer  and
Kenneth R. Silk
Brent A. Moore
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry Yale University School of Medicine Connecticut Mental Health Center New Haven, CT USA
Henrietta Bowden-Jones
Affiliation:
Substance Misuse Services Central North West London Mental Health NHS Trust London UK
Alan J. Budney
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR USA
Ryan Vandrey
Affiliation:
University of Vermont VT USA
Peter Tyrer
Affiliation:
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London
Kenneth R. Silk
Affiliation:
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
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Summary

Editor's note

Cannabis usage is often thought not to be a problem, and recent reclassifications of the drug in the UK and groups pushing for the legalization of marijuana encourage usage. This is unfortunate because cannabis usage is often problematic. A dependency syndrome can develop, and then withdrawal symptoms can complicate the efforts to stop using the substance. There are many medical and mental health problems that occur with chronic cannabis usage, and these include, most seriously, psychoses (see Chapter 26) problems with memory, motivation, psychomotor coordination, irritability, anxiety, and a host of other psychological difficulties. Pulmonary problems can occur because of the smoking of the substance. Yet, despite the problems inherent in chronic usage and despite the large number of people who probably have developed dependency on the substance, there remains very little in the way of effective interventions. There are not enough trials to even attempt a meta-analysis of interventions. There are really no good pharmacologic interventions. Cognitive-behavioural therapy, enhanced by contingency management techniques such as the use of vouchers, seems most effective. There is some evidence that the longer the length of exposure to these behavioural interventions, the greater the chance of success in being able to stop using the substance.

Introduction

Cannabis use remains the most prevalent form of illicit drug use in English speaking countries and the European Union, and its use is believed to be high in other countries where epidemiological data are not available (European Monitoring Centers for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2003; Hall et al. 1999; SAMSHA, 2002).

Type
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Cambridge Textbook of Effective Treatments in Psychiatry , pp. 413 - 421
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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  • Treatment of cannabis dependence
    • By Brent A. Moore, Department of Psychiatry Yale University School of Medicine Connecticut Mental Health Center New Haven, CT USA, Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Substance Misuse Services Central North West London Mental Health NHS Trust London UK, Alan J. Budney, Department of Psychiatry University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR USA, Ryan Vandrey, University of Vermont VT USA
  • Edited by Peter Tyrer, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, Kenneth R. Silk, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Book: Cambridge Textbook of Effective Treatments in Psychiatry
  • Online publication: 12 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544392.024
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  • Treatment of cannabis dependence
    • By Brent A. Moore, Department of Psychiatry Yale University School of Medicine Connecticut Mental Health Center New Haven, CT USA, Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Substance Misuse Services Central North West London Mental Health NHS Trust London UK, Alan J. Budney, Department of Psychiatry University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR USA, Ryan Vandrey, University of Vermont VT USA
  • Edited by Peter Tyrer, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, Kenneth R. Silk, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Book: Cambridge Textbook of Effective Treatments in Psychiatry
  • Online publication: 12 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544392.024
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Treatment of cannabis dependence
    • By Brent A. Moore, Department of Psychiatry Yale University School of Medicine Connecticut Mental Health Center New Haven, CT USA, Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Substance Misuse Services Central North West London Mental Health NHS Trust London UK, Alan J. Budney, Department of Psychiatry University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR USA, Ryan Vandrey, University of Vermont VT USA
  • Edited by Peter Tyrer, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, Kenneth R. Silk, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Book: Cambridge Textbook of Effective Treatments in Psychiatry
  • Online publication: 12 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544392.024
Available formats
×