Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Cannabis Use Disorder: A Focus on Adolescents

Recent epidemiological studies keep confirming high rates of cannabis use among adolescents. The onset of cannabis use mostly occurs during mid-adolescence, which increases both the likelihood of misuse and of meeting diagnostic criteria for cannabis use disorder later in life. Lack of engagement in nonsubstance use activities, poor problem-solving skills, low self-efficacy in resisting urgency to use cannabis, and positive expectancies of its use are considered as relevant predictors of cannabis use. Unfortunately, few adolescents seek and receive treatment due to barriers such as low motivation to change. This review chapter describes the empirical evidence of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for cannabis in the adolescent population and provides basic information on the clinical assessment and treatment implementation procedures. The Community Reinforcement Approach for Adolescents (ACRA), a CBT-based intervention, is among the most effective treatments. This chapter describes its core components and outlines several recommendations for its implementation.