Psychological Interventions for Cannabis Use among Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review

Regular cannabis use during adolescence can lead to cognitive, psychological, and social consequences, causing significant distress. Although psychological interventions are the mainstay type of treatment for cannabis use disorder, the results remain mixed among youths. The objective of this review is twofold: to identify the existing psychological interventions for cannabis use among youths, and to assess the evidence regarding the effectiveness of those interventions. Randomized controlled trials focused exclusively on cannabis use among adolescents and young adults were included. Three databases—Embase, PsycInfo, and PubMed—were searched to identify relevant peer-reviewed manuscripts published before February 2022 in English and French. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool. Twenty-five randomized controlled trials were included. Fourteen studies reported a significant outcome related to cannabis use. These were mainly non-intensive, online interventions that aimed to improve the patients’ relationships and emotion regulation. This review highlights the need to conduct additional randomized control trials that target cannabis use disorder specifically among adolescents. These randomized control trials should also aim to reduce the risk of bias related to psychiatric comorbidities as well as detection and attrition problems.