Cannabis addiction

Overview

N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) is the only supplement with trials for cannabis addiction in this review, with five indexed studies. Overall, taking 1200 mg twice daily for 8–12 weeks does not appear to help adults quit cannabis or improve mood when added to counseling.

One adolescent study suggested a higher rate of negative drug tests with NAC, but participants did not remain abstinent longer than controls. Evidence remains limited and inconsistent, and NAC cannot be considered a reliable aid for cannabis cessation based on available trials. See the evidence reviews below for population and outcome detail.

Effect graph

Unlock now

Relevant supplements

Relevant supplements sorted by DEX Score.


N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)	★★★★★	Very Low / None

Unlock now

Studies

Find individual evidence reviews for supplements sorted by DEX Score.

1 supplement for rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.

N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)View supplement →

Reconsider purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeVery Low / NoneEvidenceHighTrustMedium

Evidence Review

Taking N-acetylcysteine 1200 mg twice daily for 8–12 weeks does not seem to help people quit cannabis or improve mood when added to counseling.
One study suggested it might increase the chance of a negative drug test in teens, but it did not help them stay abstinent longer.

Browse 5 studies

RCTDepressive symptoms and cannabis use in a placebo-controlled trial of N-Acetylcysteine for adult cannabis use disorder2020n=302

An RCT of 302 cannabis users found NAC did not significantly reduce cannabis use, though depressive symptoms moderated treatment response.

Effect: No Benefit
Duration: 12 weeks
Dose: 2400 mg/day
Population: Adults
Participants: 302
Ages: 18–50

View on PubMed

RCTThe role of depressive symptoms in treatment of adolescent cannabis use disorder with N-Acetylcysteine2018n=74

An RCT found higher baseline depressive symptoms predicted poorer cannabis use outcomes during NAC treatment in adolescents.

Effect: No Benefit
Population: Adults
Participants: 74

View on PubMed

RCTA randomized placebo-controlled trial of N-acetylcysteine for cannabis use disorder in adults2017n=302

An RCT of 302 cannabis-dependent adults found NAC (1200 mg twice daily) did not significantly reduce cannabis use versus placebo.

Effect: No Benefit
Dose: 1200 mg 2×/day
Population: Adults
Participants: 302
Ages: 18–50

View on PubMed

RCTA double-blind randomized controlled trial of N-acetylcysteine in cannabis-dependent adolescents2012n=116

An RCT of 116 cannabis-dependent adolescents (ages 15–21) found NAC (1200 mg/day) reduced cannabis use versus placebo over 8 weeks.

Effect: Benefit
Dose: 1200 mg
Population: Children/adolescents
Participants: 116
Ages: 15–21

View on PubMed

Open-labelN-acetylcysteine (NAC) in young marijuana users: an open-label pilot study2010

An open-label pilot study of young marijuana users found NAC was well tolerated but showed only preliminary signals of reduced use.

View on PubMed

Unlock now

Evidence visualised

Same ratings as above, aggregated so you can see coverage and imbalance.

Purchase-guidance distribution

How many supplements fall in each purchase band

Effect-size distribution

How large the reported benefits tend to be

Study distribution across 1 supplements for cannabis addiction (5 studies total).
Supplement	DEX	Studies	Meta-analyses	Share
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)	★★★★★40%	5	0	100%

Unlock now

Overview

Effect graph

Relevant supplements

Studies

Evidence visualised

On this page