Pubdate: Thu, 07 Sep 2000
Source: CNN.com (US Web)
Copyright: 2000 Cable News Network, Inc.
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Author: Christy Feig, CNN Medical Senior Producer

PROGRAMS INTRODUCED TO REDUCE TEEN MARIJUANA ADDICTION

WASHINGTON (CNN) - - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) introduced five new programs for treating
marijuana addiction in adolescents at the kickoff of its Recovery Month
2000 on Thursday.

Researchers said the new programs are more effective than current
outpatient treatment plans.

"While no treatment is a magic bullet, each is associated with better 
results than existing treatments," said Michael Dennis, one of the 
researchers who designed the programs.  

National Drug Control Policy Director Barry McCaffrey was on hand for 
the event. He called for $2.6 billion in additional spending  

The programs were designed to work in outpatient treatment facilities. 
The five programs vary in length  (6 to 14 weeks), mode( individual, 
group, and family ) and a planned number of sessions (5 to 23) and 
cost.  

The programs are: MORE Learn more about the Substance Abuse & Mental 
Health Services Administration  

1. Motivational Enhancement Therapy/ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MET/ 
CBT5) is a five-session treatment with two private sessions to motivate 
the adolescent to change and three group sessions on marijuana refusal 
skills, increasing social support for abstinence and relapse prevention 
 

2. Cognitive Behavior Therapy 7 (CBT7) is a treatment designed to 
follow MET/ CBT5 and provide additional group sessions on other common 
topics including problem solving, dealing with anger and criticism, 
coping with cravings and relapse, and depression management.  

3. The Family Support Network (FSN) is a treatment designed to 
supplement MET/ CBT or other types of treatment with additional support 
for families such as home visits and parent education meetings.  

4. The Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (ACRA) is composed 
of 14 private sessions with the adolescent and/ or the adolescents 
concerned other that focus on learning alternative skills to cope with 
problems and to change the environmental issues related to continued 
substance abuse.  

5. Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) - integrates substance abuse 
treatment into 12 weeks of family-focused treatment (plus other phone 
and case management contact) that involves working with the adolescents 
and their families on family roles and other problems areas.  

The researchers have followed up the 600 participants at 3 months and 6 
months after completion. They are currently beginning 9 and 12 - month 
follow-ups. The rate of any use decreased by 31 percent between the 3 
months before and directly after treatment. These are better than 
results in all prior studies of adolescent outpatient treatment in 
community settings. Improvements were also seen in terms of decreased 
involvement with the criminal justice system; decreased attention, 
family, and school problems; and decreased illegal activity, fighting 
or violence.  

The five types of treatment range from $105 to $244 per adolescent, per 
week, which experts say is sustainable under current funding levels.  

McCaffrey said 85 percent of people behind bars have chronic drug or 
alcohol problems.  

While the recent household drug survey showed use was down, it also 
showed there was a 45 - percent rise in treatment admission. McCaffrey 
said, "As encouraging as these numbers are... it seems to us we need to 
increase by 2.6 billion by 2007."  
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