Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36209081›Full record

Trial reportSubstance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy2022

Correlates of treatment engagement and client outcomes: results of a randomised controlled trial of nabiximols for the treatment of cannabis use disorder.

Llewellyn Mills, Adrian Dunlop, Mark Montebello, Jan Copeland, Raimondo Bruno, Meryem Jefferies, Iain Mcgregor, Nicholas Lintzeris

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pharmacotherapies for cannabis use disorder.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.

Llewellyn MillsDrug and Alcohol Services, South East Sydney Local Health District, Caringbah, NSW, Australia. llew.mills@sydney.edu.au.
Adrian DunlopDrug and Alcohol Services, Hunter New England Local Health District, New Lambton, NSW, Australia.
Mark MontebelloSpecialty of Addiction Medicine, Faculty Medicine, and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
Jan CopelandNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia.
Raimondo BrunoNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia.
Meryem JefferiesDrug Health, Western Sydney Local Health District, North Parramatta, NSW, Australia.
Iain McgregorSchool of Psychology, University Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
Nicholas LintzerisDrug and Alcohol Services, South East Sydney Local Health District, Caringbah, NSW, Australia.
Sydney Local Health District · AUCooperative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology · AUNorthern Sydney Local Health District · AUUniversity of Newcastle Australia · AUUniversity of Sydney · AUUniversity of Tasmania · AUUniversity of the Sunshine Coast · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND

aimsThere is increasing interest and evidence for the use of cannabinoid medications in the treatment of cannabis use disorder, but little examination of the correlates of successful treatment. This paper is a secondary analysis of a randomised placebo-controlled trial of nabiximols for the treatment of cannabis use disorder (CUD), aiming to identify which client and treatment characteristics impact treatment engagement and outcomes.

methodBayesian multiple regression models were used to examine the impact of age, gender, duration of regular cannabis use, daily quantity of cannabis, cannabis use problems, self-efficacy for quitting, sleep, mental health, pain measures, and treatment group upon treatment engagement (retention, medication dose, and counselling participation) and treatment outcomes (achieving end-of-study abstinence, and a 50% or greater reduction in cannabis use days) among the 128 clients participating in the 12-week trial.

resultsAmong the treatment factors, greater counselling attendance was associated with greater odds of abstinence and ≥ 50% reduction in cannabis use; nabiximols with greater odds of ≥ 50% reduction and attending counselling, and reduced hazard of treatment dropout; and higher dose with lower odds of ≥ 50% reduction. Among the client factors, longer duration of regular use was associated with higher odds of abstinence and 50% reduction, and lower hazard of treatment dropout; greater quantity of cannabis use with reduced hazard of dropout, greater odds of attending counselling, and higher average dose; greater pain at baseline with greater odds of ≥ 50% reduction and higher average dose; and more severe sleep issues with lower odds of ≥ 50% reduction. Males had lower odds of attending counselling. DISCUSSIONS AND

conclusionsThese findings suggest that counselling combined with agonist pharmacotherapy may provide the optimal treatment for cannabis use disorder. Younger clients, male clients, and clients with sleep issues could benefit from extra support from treatment services to improve engagement and outcomes.

trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12616000103460) https://www.anzctr.org.au.

Indexed as

CannabinoidsCannabisMarijuana AbuseSubstance-Related DisordersAustraliaBayes TheoremCannabidiolDronabinolDrug CombinationsHumansMalePainCannabidiolCannabinoidsDronabinolDrug CombinationsnabiximolsCannabis dependenceCannabis use disorderTreatment engagementTreatment outcomes

Identifiers

PMID36209081
PMCPMC9548192
OpenAlexW4303684354

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.