Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT04989205

Community Based Cannabis Cessation Program

The study examined a community based cannabis cessation program in Norway (CCP). The CCP uses a combination of cognitive therapy and psychoeducation and covers the normal withdrawal period for cannabis smoking cessation (up to 8 weeks), comprising ~15 individual sessions. From 2005 onwards, the CCP was implemented as a low-threshold community-based program in several Norwegian municipalities, e.g., Kristiansand, Fredrikstad and Oslo. The study had an observational one-group pre- / post test design. Outcomes was changes in cannabis use, mental distress, well-being, social network and sense of coherence (SoC) measured post-intervention (T2) and at a 3 months follow-up (T3).

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Cannabis Use

Age range

16 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Social Services, Fredrikstad Municipality, Fredrikstad, Norway

Loading trial locations.

Who can participate

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) score ≥4

Exclusion criteria

  • polydrug use where cannabis was not the predominating substance of use
  • psychiatric comorbidity that was perceived as too severe to handle at the community-based centers

Treatment and study plan

Cannabis cessation Program

Behavioral

Lundqvist and Ericsson developed the 'Cannabis Cessation Program' (CCP, Nordic abbreviation: HAP) in Sweden in the 1990s. The method uses a combination of cognitive therapy and psychoeducation and covers the normal withdrawal period for cannabis smoking cessation (up to 8 weeks), comprising ~15 individual sessions. It describes a medical, a psychological, and a social phase, in which the participant is helped to recognize and address typical problems related to each phase, e.g., physical and psychological withdrawal problems. The overarching aim of the program is to help cannabis users to reorganize thinking patterns that developed while they were using cannabis and increase their social and psychological coping skills in relation to quitting cannabis use. The CCP manual has been translated into eight languages, e.g., Norwegian.

Primary outcomes

  1. Cannabis use

    Time frame: Changes from baseline to post-treatment and follow-up, on average 5 months

    Days with cannabis use last 30 days

Secondary outcomes

  1. Mental distress

    Time frame: Changes from baseline to post-treatment and follow-up, on average 5 months

    The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL) 25-item version was used to measure mental distress. Each of the 25 items was scored on a 4-point scale (1-4). An average score was computed, indicating a global severity index of mental distress (GSI), where higher scores indicated greater distress. Clinical cut-off = 1.75

  2. Well-being

    Time frame: Changes from baseline to post-treatment and follow-up, on average 5 months

    The Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) was used to assess well-being. The scale has four visual analogue items on personal, interpersonal, social, and general well-being, and each item are scored from 0 = bad up to 10 = good. The items are then summed (range 0-40) and a score <25 indicated scores expected in a clinical population.

  3. Social network

    Time frame: Changes from baseline to post-treatment and follow-up, on average 5 months

    Number of current friends with and without problematic substance use

  4. Sense of Coherence (SoC)

    Time frame: Changes from baseline to post-treatment and follow-up, on average 5 months

    The Sense of Coherence questionnaire, 29 item version, measures the degree to which the subject feels that he or she has a sense of control over their own lives (manageability - 10 items), that life has meaning (8 items) and that their social life is understandable (comprehensibility - 11 items). Responses to items are scored on a seven-point semantic differential scale. Scores are summed (ranges from 29 - 203) and higher scores indicated a stronger SoC

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sorlandet Hospital HF

Other Gov

Registry information

Official study title

Examining a Community Based Intervention for Cannabis Smoking Cessation in Norway - an Observational Study

Important dates

Study start
2013
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Aug 4, 2021
Registry last updated
Feb 19, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.