Can a smoking cessation drug reduce problematic cannabis use?

It may seem odd that a nicotine addiction drug would also be effective in reducing use of a non-nicotine drug. Varenicline’s potential role in treating CUD is based on how the drug works in the brain. The medication acts as a partial agonist at α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Activation of these receptors helps reduce nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms in people trying to quit tobacco smoking. Researchers believe the drug might also influence overlapping reward pathways in the brain that are involved in multiple forms of addiction, including cannabis use.