Marijuana Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Marijuana, including details on benefits, cancer, effects, uses, addiction.

The Marijuana Check-up: promoting change in ambivalent marijuana users.

Stephens RS, Roffman RA, Fearer SA, Williams C, Burke RS

Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Virginia 24061, USA. stephens@vt.edu

AIMS: To evaluate the efficacy of a two-session assessment and feedback intervention designed to reach and increase motivation for change in marijuana users who were experiencing negative consequences but were ambivalent about change. DESIGN: Random assignment to one of two types of feedback conditions or a delayed feedback control (DFC) with follow-up assessments at 7 weeks, 6 months and 12 months. Setting University of Washington research center in Seattle, Washington. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 188 adult male and female marijuana users who responded to advertisements. Interventions A personalized feedback (PF) condition utilizing motivational interviewing was compared to an educational control condition labeled multi-media feedback (MMF). MEASUREMENTS: Marijuana use, dependence symptoms, other associated negative consequences and motivational constructs were assessed at all time-points. FINDINGS: PF participants reported fewer days of use per week, fewer periods of use per day and fewer dependence symptoms at 7 weeks than those in the MMF and DFC conditions. PF participants also reported fewer days of use per week compared to MMF participants at the 12-month follow-up and fewer dependence symptoms at both the 6- and 12-month follow-ups compared to MMF participants. CONCLUSIONS: The PF intervention, delivered in the context of a check-up, shows potential as a way of reaching and motivating change in marijuana users with a diagnosable disorder who otherwise are not ready to approach treatment. Ways of augmenting the modest absolute levels of change are discussed.

Published 25 May 2007 in Addiction, 102(6): 947-57.
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