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Pharmacotherapies for Cannabis Use Disorders: Clinical Challenges and Promising Therapeutic Agents

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Substance Use Disorders

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 258))

Abstract

This chapter reviews pharmacotherapies that have been trialled for cannabis dependence, identifying those that warrant further research and those of little or uncertain value. A diverse range of medicines have been tested, representing a broad range of pharmacological strategies. These include tetrahydrocannabinol preparations, various types of antidepressant, anxiolytics, a glutamatergic modulator and the neuropeptide oxytocin. Cannabinoid agonists warrant further research. For the FAAH inhibitor PF-04457845, oxytocin, varenicline and gabapentin, although there is a signal to indicate further research is warranted, these medications do not yet have sufficient evidence to support clinical use, and larger, longer-term trials are needed in representative treatment-seeking populations. Special populations that warrant consideration are those with cannabis dependence and concurrent mental health conditions and those that develop dependence through therapeutic use.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Le Foll has/will received some in-kind donation of cannabis product from Canopy and Aurora and medication donation from Pfizer and Bioprojet and was provided a coil for TMS study from Brainsway. Dr. Le Foll has/will perform research with industry funding obtained from Canopy, Bioprojet, ACS and Alkermes. Dr. Le Foll has received in-kind donations of nabiximols from GW Pharma for past studies funded by CIHR and NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Monash Addiction Research Centre, Monash University, Peninsula Campus, Frankston, VIC, Australia

    Suzanne Nielsen

  2. Translational Addiction Research Laboratory, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Pamela Sabioni & Bernard Le Foll

  3. Discipline of Pharmacology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Linda Gowing

  4. Acute Care Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Bernard Le Foll

  5. Departments of Family and Community Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Psychiatry, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Bernard Le Foll

  6. Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Bernard Le Foll

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  1. Suzanne Nielsen
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  2. Pamela Sabioni
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  3. Linda Gowing
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  4. Bernard Le Foll
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Correspondence to Bernard Le Foll .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    Michael A. Nader

  2. Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

    Yasmin L. Hurd

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Nielsen, S., Sabioni, P., Gowing, L., Le Foll, B. (2019). Pharmacotherapies for Cannabis Use Disorders: Clinical Challenges and Promising Therapeutic Agents. In: Nader, M., Hurd, Y. (eds) Substance Use Disorders. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 258. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/164_2019_258

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