Unlike tobacco, alcohol, and all other drugs of abuse, marijuana and its related cannabinoids make up the only class of drugs of which use is on the rise. Despite this trend, surprisingly few treatment options exist for the growing number of individuals who desire to quit. Common drug treatment approaches such as behavioral therapy are costly and have yielded modest success rates among marijuana users. A low cost, accessible treatment option for these individuals may be exercise. In the animal and human literature, exercise has been shown to decrease craving, lessen withdrawal, promote abstinence, and reduce reinstatement in a variety of drugs. However, no studies have explicitly examined the effects of exercise among treatment?seeking marijuana users. Thus, the overall objective of the proposed research is to examine whether exercise in conjunction with treatment?as?usual (TAU) is more effective than standard treatment in decreasing cravings, decreasing drug usage, and increasing abstinence among marijuana users. In addition, exercise is known to activate the endocannabinoid (eCB) system, which is the same physiological system affected by marijuana. The proposed study will not only extend the knowledge of exercise interventions in treatment?seeking cannabis users, but it will also be the first to investigate the eCBs as a mechanism contributing to treatment outcomes. A total of 28 males and females with a DSM?IV?TR diagnosis of cannabis abuse or dependency between the ages of 18?55yrs will engage in 6 weeks of either treatment?as?usual (TAU) at a local, outpatient counseling center OR TAU with exercise (EX). Throughout the trial, participants will be assessed on their marijuana usage, cravings, and physical/psychological symptoms of both drug abstinence and EX/TAU treatment. Moreover, participants will provide urine, salivary, and blood samples to assess changes in THC metabolites, cortisol, and eCBs over the 6 week period. Exploring a mechanistically?viable, accessible and affordable treatment option for marijuana users, such as exercise, will potentially be very important as marijuana use and the use of its more powerful synthetic derivatives continues to rise.
Despite marijuana being the most widely used illicit substance in the United States, treatment-seeking individuals have few well-researched, affordable treatment options available to them. Though explored in other drug populations, exercise has not been routinely investigated as a treatment approach in marijuana users. Given that exercise, like marijuana, is a potent activator of the endogenous cannabinoid system, it is mechanistically plausible that exercise could be an optimal method to supplement cessation efforts by reducing withdrawal and attenuating drug cravings. The proposed project is relevant to NIDA's mission because its exercise approach is a low-cost, sustainable, and alternative treatment with a viable underlying mechanism. The results of this project will ultimately permit the tailoring of better drug treatments to support successful cessation efforts in men and women.
| Brellenthin, Angelique G; Koltyn, Kelli F (2016) Exercise as an adjunctive treatment for cannabis use disorder. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 42:481-489 |
