A drug designed to treat marijuana addiction has shown early promise in clinical trials as cannabis use has surged in recent years.
Cannabis use disorder, as it is known, causes an inability to control marijuana use, leading to issues at work and in personal lives for habitual users.
Those addicted to marijuana continue to use it despite negative consequences affecting their work, personal relationships, and ability to fulfill obligations.
Although cannabis is the most widely used drug in the world, approximately 20% of users develop an addiction, according to the study.
In a clinical trial conducted by Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Aelis Farma, one of over a dozen tested substances was able to reduce the effects of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, for chronic users.
“This is the first to decrease both the positive mood effects of cannabis and the decision to use cannabis by daily smokers,” said Dr. Margaret Haney, Ph.D., Columbia professor of neurobiology and director of the Cannabis Research Laboratory.
The drug, developed by Aelis Farma and known as AEF0117, works to diminish the “high” feeling of cannabis use by suppressing sensory cells that respond to THC, while not negatively affecting psychological and behavioral functions such as sleeping, eating, processing emotions, memory, and learning.
According to the study, Aelis Farma’s drug is the first of its kind to target cannabis response without obstructing other functions of the receptors, which have previously caused significant issues for patients and halted clinical use.
The trial comes as marijuana legalization and its use increase, with adverse effects from its use becoming more apparent.
Marijuana usage among young people, in particular, has shown spikes in depression, suicidality, schizophrenia, psychosis, addiction, and other negative mental health outcomes.
As marijuana has become increasingly legal, the number of teenagers using the drug has increased by 245% in the past 20 years.
There is currently no FDA-approved drug to treat cannabis use disorder.
