Testing the Effects of Cann'App, a Digital Intervention for Cannabis Harm Reduction

Jacques Gaume

Status: Invitation-only

Conditions: Cannabis Use; Harm Reduction

Treatments: Behavioral: Imagining the Future Using Counterfactual Thinking and Episodic Future Thinking (IMAGIN); Behavioral: Behavioral Economics-Informed Exercises to Increase Motivation to Engage in Substance-Free Activities (SFAS); Behavioral: Information; Behavioral: Personalized Feedback on Cannabis Protective Behavioral Strategies, Cannabis Use, Cannabis Expenditures, and Cannabis-Related Consequences (PF)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07157540

2025-00428

10001E_220072 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a digital web application can prevent the risks related to cannabis use among adult regular cannabis users who are enrolled in a pilot trial for cannabis sales regulation conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland (i.e., Cann-L study) and have agreed that their data were used in other studies.

The main question it aims to answer is:

Do participants who have access to the intervention modules of the web application raise their use of protective behavioral strategies to lower cannabis-related risks?

Researchers will compare the intervention modules to a control module (i.e., information on cannabis-related risks and harm reduction) to see if the web application works to prevent the risks related to cannabis use. They will also compare intervention modules across each other to see whether one works better than another.

Participants will:

• Create a user account in the web application
• Access the web application using a laptop, tablet or smartphone
• Use the web application as they wish throughout the duration of the study
• Complete the regular Cann-L study questionnaires every six months, which will be used to measure their cannabis use and related risks.

Enrollment: 565 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Eligible participants will be those included in the pilot trial of cannabis sales regulation in Lausanne, Switzerland (Cann-L study).

Inclusion criteria in Cann-L study are:

• being adult (>18 years old),
• having current cannabis use (i.e., use at least once a month over the last 6 months)
• living in the city of Lausanne. To enter the study, they complete an entry assessment verifying their age and proof of residence, and confirming that they have current cannabis use.

Exclusion criteria

• Cann-L exclusion criteria comprise:
• being younger than 18 years old,
• being pregnant or breastfeeding,
• having a health condition contraindicating the use of cannabis (e.g., severe psychiatric disorder).

The consent to participate in the Cann-L parent trial comprises an option to be contacted to participate in sub-studies, including studies on prevention measures. All participants having accepted to be so contacted will be proposed to participate in the present study.

Therefore, additional exclusion criteria for the present study include:

• not providing informed consent to participate in sub-studies, including studies on prevention measures,
• not providing informed consent to participate in the present study.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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565 participants in 5 patient groups

Condition 1 - Personalized Feedback + Information

Experimental group

Description:

Access to "Personalized Feedback" module (PF, Study Intervention) and "Information" module (Minimal, Control Intervention)

Treatment:

Behavioral: Personalized Feedback on Cannabis Protective Behavioral Strategies, Cannabis Use, Cannabis Expenditures, and Cannabis-Related Consequences (PF)

Behavioral: Information

Condition 2 - Imagine the future + Information

Experimental group

Description:

Access to "Imagine the Future" module (IMAGIN, Study Intervention) and "Information" module (Minimal, Control Intervention)

Treatment:

Behavioral: Information

Behavioral: Imagining the Future Using Counterfactual Thinking and Episodic Future Thinking (IMAGIN)

Condition 3 - Substance-Free Activities Session + Information

Experimental group

Description:

Access to "Substance-Free Activities Session" module (SFAS, Study Intervention) and "Information" module (Minimal, Control Intervention)

Treatment:

Behavioral: Information

Behavioral: Behavioral Economics-Informed Exercises to Increase Motivation to Engage in Substance-Free Activities (SFAS)

Condition 4 - Full Intervention + Information

Experimental group

Description:

Access to the full intervention (PF+IMAGIN+SFAS) and "Information" module (Minimal, Control Intervention)

Treatment:

Behavioral: Personalized Feedback on Cannabis Protective Behavioral Strategies, Cannabis Use, Cannabis Expenditures, and Cannabis-Related Consequences (PF)

Behavioral: Information

Behavioral: Behavioral Economics-Informed Exercises to Increase Motivation to Engage in Substance-Free Activities (SFAS)

Behavioral: Imagining the Future Using Counterfactual Thinking and Episodic Future Thinking (IMAGIN)

Condition 5 - Information only (Control)

Active Comparator group

Description:

Access to "Information" module (Minimal, Control Intervention)

Treatment:

Behavioral: Information