News Release

Medication to treat marijuana addiction may be on the horizon

Science Spotlight

This is Archived Content. This content is available for historical purposes only. It may not reflect the current state of science or language from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). View current news releases on nida.nih.gov.

Marijuana plantMarijuana plant

NIDA funded researchers report that kynurenic acid is a naturally occurring substance in the brain that can lessen the effects of THC in animal models of drug abuse and addiction. The acid acts by reducing the function of alpha-7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

If effective in humans, this could lead to a medication for the treatment of marijuana addiction. There are currently no approved medications for treating marijuana addiction, estimated to occur in nine percent of users.

For a copy of the study, published online Oct 13, go to www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nn.3540.html.

For more information, contact the NIDA press office at media@nida.nih.gov or 301-443-6245.