Trial reportDrug and alcohol dependence2011
Dronabinol for the treatment of cannabis dependence: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Trial report in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 110 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
110 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 223 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evidence-based consensus guidelines for the pharmacological management of substance dependence: Recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2026Guideline
- Pharmacotherapies for cannabis use disorder.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Medical cannabinoids: a pharmacology-based systematic review and meta-analysis for all relevant medical indications.BMC medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Cannabinoids in the Treatment of Cannabis Use Disorder: Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Pharmacotherapies for cannabis use disorder: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.The International journal on drug policy · 2021Pooled it
- How effective and safe is medical cannabis as a treatment of mental disorders? A systematic review.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2019Pooled it
- Pharmacotherapies for cannabis dependence.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Systematic review of outcome domains and measures used in psychosocial and pharmacological treatment trials for cannabis use disorder.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2019Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Cannabinoid Agonist Replacement Therapy for Cannabis Withdrawal Symptoms.CNS drugs · 2018Pooled it
- Risks associated with the non-medicinal use of cannabis.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2015Pooled it
- Pharmacotherapies for cannabis dependence.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2014Pooled it
- 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 · 2022Trial
- Abstinence and reduced frequency of use are associated with improvements in quality of life among treatment-seekers with cannabis use disorder.The American journal on addictions · 2018Trial
- Trial
- Nabilone pharmacotherapy for cannabis dependence: A randomized, controlled pilot study.The American journal on addictions · 2017Trial
- Topiramate and motivational enhancement therapy for cannabis use among youth: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study.Addiction biology · 2017Trial
- Effects of zolpidem alone and in combination with nabilone on cannabis withdrawal and a laboratory model of relapse in cannabis users.Psychopharmacology · 2016Trial
- Effects of fixed or self-titrated dosages of Sativex on cannabis withdrawal and cravings.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2016Trial
- Dronabinol and lofexidine for cannabis use disorder: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2016Trial
- Buspirone treatment of cannabis dependence: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2015Trial
50 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Cannabis dependence is a substantial public health problem. Behavioral treatments have shown promise, but there are no effective medications for cannabis dependence. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of dronabinol, a synthetic form of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, a naturally occurring pharmacologically active component of marijuana, in treating cannabis dependence. 156 cannabis-dependent adults were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-week trial. After a 1-week placebo lead-in phase, participants were randomized to receive dronabinol 20mg twice a day or placebo. Doses were maintained until the end of week 8 and then tapered off over 2 weeks. All participants received weekly motivational enhancement and relapse prevention therapy. Marijuana use was assessed using the timeline follow back method. There was no significant difference between treatment groups in the proportion of participants who achieved 2 weeks of abstinence at the end of the maintenance phase (dronabinol: 17.7%; placebo: 15.6%). Although both groups showed a reduction in marijuana use over time, there were no differences between the groups. Treatment retention was significantly higher at the end of the maintenance phase on dronabinol (77%), compared to placebo (61%) (P=.02), and withdrawal symptoms were significantly lower on dronabinol than placebo (P=.02). This is the first trial using an agonist substitution strategy for treatment of cannabis dependence. Dronabinol showed promise, it was well-tolerated, and improved treatment retention and withdrawal symptoms. Future trials might test higher doses, combinations of dronabinol with other medications with complementary mechanisms, or with more potent behavioral interventions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.