Chapter 114 - Reducing Cannabis Use With a Real-Time Intervention Using Mobile Technology

Abstract

Marijuana is the most prevalent drug of abuse among adolescents and young adults in the United States and Europe. We developed a marijuana treatment intervention (“MOMENT”) to address two challenges. First, although frequent marijuana use is associated with adverse emotional, educational, and social sequelae, most youth with problematic use do not seek treatment. Primary care settings have the potential to provide treatment to this population. Motivational interventions such as motivational enhancement therapy (MET) may be effective, but need to be brief and easy to implement in primary care. Second, marijuana use has been linked to negative affective states and specific social settings, yet existing interventions are delivered out of these contexts. MOMENT combines brief MET delivered by a clinician in the primary care setting with momentary intervention delivered using mobile technology in real-life settings. MOMENT is a promising approach to reducing marijuana use among youth who may not be seeking treatment.