Weight-Loss drug semaglutide tested as cannabis craving cure
NCT ID NCT07523633
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether semaglutide (Wegovy), a drug used for weight loss, can help adults with cannabis use disorder use less cannabis. 100 participants will receive either semaglutide or a placebo injection weekly for 20 weeks. The main goal is to see if the drug reduces total cannabis use compared to placebo, with brain scans in some participants to explore how it works.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- semaglutide (Wegovy)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new medication to help people cut down or stop cannabis use, addressing a condition with few approved treatments.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early Phase 2 trial with only 100 people, so results may not apply broadly. Semaglutide can cause nausea, vomiting, and other side effects, and the placebo group may also improve.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
-
Apr 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 to 70 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Informed oral and written consent. 2. Meets the criteria for cannabis use disorder (CUD) according to DSM-5 or ICD-10. 3. Currently seeking to cut down or stop cannabis use. 4. Positive urine test for cannabinoids. 5. Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 23 kg/m². 6. Age 18-70 years. 7. Recent frequent cannabis use, defined as use on ≥16 days out of the past 28 days. 8. Cannabis use (smoked, vaped, edibles) equivalent to THC doses of ≥14 grams in the past 28 days before baseline. 9. Ability to comply with study procedures and follow-up. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Currently meeting non-cannabis/tobacco substance use disorder (ICD-10 or DSM-5). 2. Current or past diagnosis of severe psychiatric illness, defined as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or other psychoses, within the past five years. 3. Suicide attempt or suicidal behavior within the past five years. 4. Severe neurological disorders, including previous severe traumatic brain injury, stroke, or intracranial hemorrhage. 5. Type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. 6. Pregnant or potentially pregnant women: Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) who are pregnant, breastfeeding, planning to become pregnant within the next eight months (including 20 weeks of treatment plus two months after discontinuation of semaglutide), or not using effective contraception throughout the study period. Effective methods include combined hormonal contraception (oral, intravaginal, transdermal), progestogen-only hormonal contraception (oral, implant, injection), intrauterine device/system (IUD/IUS), bilateral tubal occlusion, partner with vasectomy, or sexual abstinence. WOCBP with a measured serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) level \>3 U/L at inclusion will also be excluded. 7. Impaired liver function (liver transaminases \>3 times the upper reference limit) 8. Impaired renal function (eGFR \<50 ml/min and/or plasma creatinine \>150 µmol/L). 9. Impaired pancreatic function (past or current acute or chronic pancreatitis and/or amylase \>2 times the upper limit). 10. History of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and/or family history of MTC and/or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2). 11. Heart disease is defined as decompensated heart failure (NYHA class III or IV), unstable angina pectoris, and/or myocardial infarction within the past 12 months. 12. Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure \>180 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure \>110 mmHg). 13. Receipt of experimental medication within the past 30 days. 14. Use of weight-loss medication within the past 3 months. 15. Hypersensitivity to the active substance or any of the excipients. 16. For patients undergoing brain scanning only: Contraindications to MRI scanning (magnetic implants, pacemaker, claustrophobia, etc.). 17. Inability to speak and/or understand Danish. 18. Other conditions: Any other condition that, in the investigator's opinion, may interfere with participation in the trial.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Cannabis abuse are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, Frederiksberg Hospital
RECRUITINGFrederiksberg, 2100, Denmark
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a website help people cut back on cannabis?
- Brain scans probe why cannabis hits men and women differently
- Can rewards and remote coaching help people cut back on cannabis?
- Can a phone app curb cannabis use in early psychosis?
- Can a sleep pill curb cannabis addiction?
- Pharmacies vs. street: does regulated cannabis improve health?