Feasibility Study of a Brief Telephone-based Cannabis Intervention

A brief telephone-based intervention for treatment seeking cannabis users with the primary outcome of cannabis use frequency

Status

Terminated

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12615001174572

Enrollment

Registered

2015-11-02

Start date

2015-12-07

Completion date

2016-06-30

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

Cannabis use disorder is the most common illegal substance use disorder in the general population and demand for assistance from health professionals is increasing internationally (EMCDDA, 2014). Despite this, only a minority of individuals with the disorder seek treatment. Study on the barriers to cannabis treatment has highlighted the importance of providing additional outpatient treatments that are specific to cannabis (Treloar et al., 2007) and delivered to the individual in a way which unwanted contact with other illicit drug users can be avoided (Gates, Copeland, Swift and Martin, 2012). To date no Australian data exists on the efficacy of such a telephone-based intervention with a specific focus on an illicit drug. This study has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Health to examine whether a brief telephone-based counselling service can act as a feasible treatment option for people with problems with their cannabis use. The results from the randomised trial may validate decisions to support the funding of telephone based services or introduce similar services for other illicit drugs.

Interventions

Brief (60 minute) one session telephone-based intervention based on motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapies. This call will be made by the counsellors working at the Cannabis Information Helpline who will receive intervention training. In addition to this training, adherence will be monitoring by the Helpline supervisors as well as by research staff who will listen to approximately 20% of the sessions.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Open (masking not used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

18+ Years of age Recent cannabis use

Exclusion criteria

Unable to give informed consent (no mental health concerns) Dependence on other illicit substances Recent cannabis use treatment

Outcome results