Smartphone Apps for Cannabis Cessation: Quality Assessment and Content Analysis

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundThe rising rates of cannabis use, cannabis-related problems, and hospitalization rates related to cannabis usage warrant further research into better treatment methods and interventions.PurposeThis study aims to identify the quality of free cannabis cessation applications available on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store and analyse their features, content, and adherence to evidence-based practices.MethodsA systematic search was conducted in April 2023 using a variety of keywords. The applications were deemed eligible if they were free, in English, available on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store and were related to cannabis cessation. Each application was used for at least one month and were rated on the Mobile App Rating Scale by two users. There was excellent agreement determined between the two reviewers (≤2 points on all categories).ResultsA total of 4 applications were included in the overall quality and content analysis. The mean total quality scores of applications were determined to be 3.36 out of 5 indicating a poor to acceptable quality of applications. It was determined that there was a very limited number of available applications for users and those that were available were not of high quality with few applications incorporating evidence-based practices.ConclusionsThere are a very limited number of cannabis cessation applications available, and the currently available products have poor to acceptable quality.