Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2013 Mar;38(3):1788-91.
doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.11.003. Epub 2012 Nov 16.

Marijuana craving trajectories in an adolescent marijuana cessation pharmacotherapy trial

Amanda T Roten  1 , Nathaniel L Baker, Kevin M Gray
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Marijuana craving trajectories in an adolescent marijuana cessation pharmacotherapy trial

Amanda T Roten et al. Addict Behav. 2013 Mar.

Abstract

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance among youths and recent epidemiological data indicate that rates of marijuana use are on the rise. The purpose of this study was to examine marijuana craving trajectories among adolescents in an eight-week, placebo-controlled pharmacotherapy trial targeting marijuana cessation. All participants received contingency management and cessation counseling, and were randomized to either N-acetylcysteine (1200mg NAC twice daily; n=45) or placebo (n=44). Craving for marijuana was measured using the short-form of the Marijuana Craving Questionnaire (MCQ). Results demonstrated a significant decrease in MCQ scores over time for the total sample, but no significant differential change in scores between the NAC and placebo groups. This lack of significant difference is in the setting of NAC participants submitting significantly more negative urine cannabinoid tests as compared to placebo participants. This suggests that cessation effects associated with NAC may be mediated by effects other than marijuana craving.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

Kevin Gray receives funding for research from Supernus, Merck, Inc., and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Nathaniel Baker has no conflicts of interest. Amanda Roten receives funding for research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. MCQ Total score over time by treatment group
Data are shown as group level means over time and associated standard errors. All values are adjusted for time, baseline MCQ score, the interaction of treatment and time, and the time varying effect of the results of weekly urine cannabis testing. *p<0.05.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Percent change in MCQ Total Score and Subscale scores from the Baseline visit to the last available visit during treatment
Data are shown as the mean percent change with associated standard error. All values are adjusted for the baseline MCQ score and baseline urine cannabis test result. *p<0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Baker DA, McFarland K, Lake RW, Shen H, Tang X, Toda S, Kalivas PW. Neuroadaptations in cysteine-glutamate exchange underlie cocaine relapse. Nature Neuroscience. 2003;6:743–749. - PubMed
    1. Carter BL, Tiffany ST. Meta-analysis of cue-reactivity in addiction research. Addiction. 1999;94(3):327–340. - PubMed
    1. Casadio P, Fernandes C, Murray RM, Di Forti M. Cannabis use in young people: The risk for schizophrenia. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 2011;35:1779–1787. - PubMed
    1. Coffey C, Carlin JB, Degenhardt L, Lynskey M, Sanci L, Patton GC. Cannabis dependence in young adults: An Australian population study. Addiction. 2002;97:187–194. - PubMed
    1. Gray KM, LaRowe SD, Upadhyaya HP. Cue reactivity in young marijuana smokers: A preliminary investigation. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. 2008;22(4):582–586. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances