Tirzepatide in the Treatment of Cannabis Use Disorder

June 29, 2026 updated by: M. Van Ameringen, McMaster University

A 12-Week Phase 3 Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy of Tirzepatide-Assisted-Psychotherapy in Adults With Cannabis Use Disorder: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Cannabis is the most commonly used psychoactive substance in Canada. A sub-group of cannabis users develop Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD). CUD is a pattern of cannabis use that results in impairment in functioning, symptoms of tolerance, withdrawal, and distress. Several pharmacological and psychosocial interventions have been evaluated for their efficacy in treating CUD, however they lack high success rates. GLP-1RA's have shown promising results in reducing food and alcohol cravings and intake. Tirzepatide acts as both a GLP-1RA and a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor agonist. Tirzepatide has been reported to reduce alcohol consumption, and therefore may have promising effects as a treatment for CUD. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and tolerability of weekly injections of Tirzepatide combined with Motivational Enhancement Therapy in adults with CUD. This trial will be the first to examine the potential therapeutic effects of Tirzepatide in CUD.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
15

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8S 1B8
        • MacAnxiety Research Centre
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 and above
  • DSM-5 Cannabis Use Disorder diagnosis of at least moderate severity (4+ DSM-5 symptoms)
  • 4 or more days of cannabis use per week
  • Treatment seeking
  • A Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 22

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Meet DSM-5 criteria for Cluster A or B personality disorders and/or unstable current bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or psychotic disorder
  • Comorbid severe DSM-5 Major Depressive Disorder
  • Present a serious suicide risk or who are likely to require psychiatric hospitalization during the course of the study, as determined by the study physician and Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale
  • Any other mental health condition deemed incompatible by the study team
  • Meet DSM-5 criteria for alcohol or substance use disorder for any substance other than cannabis or tobacco in the past 6 months
  • Positive urine drug screen for any substance except cannabis
  • Concurrent addiction-focused psychotherapy in the past 6 months
  • Unstable management of an existing mental health condition or anticipation of a change to the treatment over the next 3 months
  • A personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2
  • Current unstable medical condition
  • A lifetime diagnosis of Diabetes
  • Females who are pregnant/nursing, or individuals in reproductive age who do not consent to using birth control during the study
  • Concomitant treatment with: other GLP-1 agonists, Contrave, bupropion, naltrexone, acamprosate within the past year. No lifetime treatment with tirzepatide.
  • Significant literacy, visual, or hearing problems
  • Co-enrollment in a clinical drug trial

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Single Arm
This is an open-label single arm intervention. All participants will be offered both Tirzepatide and psychotherapy over the 12-week treatment period.
Drug: Tirzepatide
Treatment will occur over a 12-week period, with once-weekly injections of escalating doses every 3 weeks from 2.5mg to 10mg. Tirzepatide will be used in conjunction with Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Tolerability of Tirzepatide-Assisted-Psychotherapy for Cannabis Use Disorder.
Time Frame: From baseline to 12-week endpoint.

Tolerability will be measured by the percent of participants who discontinue the trial.

Tolerability will also be measured by the percent of participants who reach the target dose.
From baseline to 12-week endpoint.
Feasibility of Tirzepatide-Assisted-Psychotherapy for Cannabis Use Disorder.
Time Frame: From baseline to 12-week endpoint.
Feasibility will be evaluated based on the number of people who contact the study team, percent of people that contact who are eligible and percent of eligible participants who enroll.
From baseline to 12-week endpoint.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Frequency and amount of cannabis use
Time Frame: From baseline to 12-week endpoint.
The Enhanced Cannabis Timeline Follow Back (EC-TLFB) obtains information about frequency of cannabis use, amount used, types of cannabis products, and methods of administration.
From baseline to 12-week endpoint.
Severity of Cannabis Use Disorder symptoms
Time Frame: From baseline to 12-week endpoint
The Self-Reported Symptoms of Cannabis Use Disorder (SRSCUD) is a 13-item self-report form that allows individuals to rate the severity of their Cannabis Use Disorder on a scale from 1 to 4. Total scores range from 0 to 39, with a higher score indicating greater symptom severity.
From baseline to 12-week endpoint
Cannabis cravings
Time Frame: From baseline to 12-week endpoint
The Marijuana Craving Questionnaire - Short Form (MCQ-SF) is a self-report 12-item questionnaire used to assess individual's cannabis craving experiences.
From baseline to 12-week endpoint
Cannabis withdrawal symptoms
Time Frame: From baseline to 12-week endpoint
The Marijuana Withdrawal Checklist (MWC) is a self-report 15-item questionnaire used to assess symptoms of cannabis withdrawal. Participants rate items on a Likert scale from 0 (not at all) to 3 (severe) based on their most recent period of cannabis abstinence. Scores range from 0 to 45, with higher scores indicating greater withdrawal symptom severity.
From baseline to 12-week endpoint

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder symptom severity
Time Frame: From baseline to 12-week endpoint
The Barkley's Adult ADHD Rating Scale - I (BAARS-IV) is a 21 item self-report questionnaire that assesses ADHD symptom severity.
From baseline to 12-week endpoint
Change from baseline in OCD symptoms
Time Frame: From baseline to 12-week endpoint.
The Obsessive Compulsive Inventory - Revised (OCI-R) is an 18-item self-report questionnaire that assesses various obsessions.
From baseline to 12-week endpoint.
Change from baseline on the severity of anxiety symptoms
Time Frame: From baseline to 12-week endpoint
The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) is a self-report 7-item questionnaire that measures anxiety symptom severity. Items are rated on a Likert scale from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). Total scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
From baseline to 12-week endpoint
Change from baseline in depression symptoms
Time Frame: From baseline to 12-week endpoint.
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a self-report measure with 9-items used to assess the presence of depression symptoms in the past 2 weeks. Items are scored on a Likert scale from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). Total scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating greater depression severity.
From baseline to 12-week endpoint.
Change from baseline in functional impairment
Time Frame: From baseline to 12-week endpoint.
The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) is a self-report scale of functional impairment. Responses are based on an eleven-point scale from 0 (not at all) to 10 (extremely). Total scores range from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater impairment.
From baseline to 12-week endpoint.
Change in baseline quality of life
Time Frame: From baseline to 12-point endpoint.
The World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment (WHOQOL-BREF) is a self-report measure that assesses quality of life across physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environment domains. The WHOQOL-BREF consists of 26 items that are rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Scores are transformed to range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.
From baseline to 12-point endpoint.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
McMaster University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 31, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 31, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 15, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 22, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 26, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Tirzep_CUD

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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