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Taking peoplePhase 2

Effect of Semaglutide on Cannabis Use in Adults With Cannabis Use Disorder

Key facts

Who runs it
Anders Fink-Jensen, MD, DMSci
Where
Denmark1 site in 1 countryChoose a country to see its sites
Trial code
Status
Recruiting
Phase
Phase 2
People taking part
100 people, planned
Started
30 Apr 2026
Expected to end
30 Apr 2028
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets a placebo (a dummy treatment), for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • semaglutide
  • Placebo
Record updated
14 May 2026

Who can take part

Age
18 years to 70 years
Sex
Women and men
Healthy volunteers
Cannot take part

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 27 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • Informed oral and written consent
  • Meets the criteria for cannabis use disorder (CUD) according to DSM-5 or ICD-10
  • Currently seeking to cut down or stop cannabis use
  • Positive urine test for cannabinoids
  • Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 23 kg/m²
  • Age 18-70 years
  • Recent frequent cannabis use, defined as use on ≥16 days out of the past 28 days
  • Cannabis use (smoked, vaped, edibles) equivalent to THC doses of ≥14 grams in the past 28 days before baseline
  • Ability to comply with study procedures and follow-up

Who cannot take part

  • Severe neurological disorders, including previous severe traumatic brain injury, stroke, or intracranial hemorrhage
  • Receipt of experimental medication within the past 30 days
  • Use of weight-loss medication within the past 3 months
  • For patients undergoing brain scanning only:; Contraindications to MRI scanning (magnetic implants, pacemaker, claustrophobia, etc.)
  • Currently meeting non-cannabis/tobacco substance use disorder (ICD-10 or DSM-5)
  • Current or past diagnosis of severe psychiatric illness, defined as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or other psychoses, within the past five years
  • Type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes
  • History of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and/or family history of MTC and/or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2)
  • 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
  • Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure >180 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure >110 mmHg)
  • Hypersensitivity to the active substance or any of the excipients
  • Other conditions: Any other condition that, in the investigator's opinion, may interfere with participation in the trial
  • 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
  • Impaired liver function (liver transaminases >3 times the upper reference limit)
  • Impaired renal function (eGFR <50 ml/min and/or plasma creatinine >150 µmol/L)
  • Suicide attempt or suicidal behavior within the past five years
  • Impaired pancreatic function (past or current acute or chronic pancreatitis and/or amylase >2 times the upper limit)
  • Inability to speak and/or understand Danish

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

  • Are you between 18 and 70 years old?

This trial has no sites in United States.

It has sites in one country. Choose a country to see its sites.

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

The HASHTAG Study is investigating whether the medicine semaglutide can help adults with cannabis use disorder (CUD) reduce their cannabis use. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either semaglutide or a placebo. The first 50 participants will have functional brain scans (fMRI) to investigate how the brain responds to cannabis-related cues. The main outcome after 20 weeks is whether semaglutide reduces cannabis use compared to placebo. Changes in brain activity in response to cannabis cues will be explored as a secondary outcome.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • semaglutideTreatment being tested

    Wegovy (semaglutide) once-weekly by subcutaneous injection, titrated to a maximum dose of 2.4 mg

  • Placebo (saline injection)Placebo, for comparison

    Saline once-weekly by subcutaneous injection

    Treatment: Placebo

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov and on the EU's official list of trials (CTIS).
Official title
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Semaglutide for Reducing Cannabis Use in Adults With Cannabis Use Disorder
Fit questions
Built from NCT07523633, who can take part
Record updated
14 May 2026