Psychotherapy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Psychotherapy, including details on psychiatry, psychoanalysis, methods, outcomes.

Clinical trial of abstinence-based vouchers and cognitive-behavioral therapy for cannabis dependence.

Budney AJ, Moore BA, Rocha HL, Higgins ST

Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT , USA. ajbudney@uams.edu

Ninety cannabis-dependent adults seeking treatment were randomly assigned to receive cognitive-behavioral therapy, abstinence-based voucher incentives, or their combination. Treatment duration was 14 weeks, and outcomes were assessed for 12 months posttreatment. Findings suggest that (a) abstinence-based vouchers were effective for engendering extended periods of continuous marijuana abstinence during treatment, (b) cognitive-behavioral therapy did not add to this during-treatment effect, and (c) cognitive-behavioral therapy enhanced the posttreatment maintenance of the initial positive effect of vouchers on abstinence. This study extends the literature on cannabis dependence, indicating that a program of abstinence-based vouchers is a potent treatment option. Discussion focuses on the strengths of each intervention, the clinical significance of the findings, and the need to continue efforts toward development of effective interventions.

Published 2 May 2006 in J Consult Clin Psychol, 74(2): 307-16.
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