Quick answer
Cannabis use disorder is treatable, and the care that works is behavioral — counseling approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational enhancement, since no medication is FDA-approved for it. Within 30 miles of Scranton, the SAMHSA locator lists 30 treatment facilities, including 25 offering outpatient services.
Published: 2026-10-24 Updated: 2026-10-24
Marijuana Treatment in Scranton, PA
Most people who use marijuana never need treatment. Some do — using more than planned, failing at cuts they meant to make, losing mornings to it, feeling flat without it. That pattern has a name, cannabis use disorder, and it is treatable. Around Scranton there are outpatient programs built for exactly this, and most take insurance or public funding. This page explains what treatment looks like and how to start.
What does marijuana treatment look like near Scranton?
It depends on how much the use is entangled with the rest of your life. If you are working or in school, weekly outpatient counseling is the most common starting point. If use is daily and entrenched, an intensive outpatient program — several sessions a week while you keep living at home — gives more structure. If cannabis sits alongside depression, anxiety, or trauma, look for a program that treats co-occurring conditions together rather than one at a time.
There is no FDA-approved medication for cannabis use disorder. SAMHSA notes the FDA has approved medications for alcohol and opioid use disorders; for cannabis, care rests on counseling and behavioral therapies with evidence behind them:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) — spotting the moods, places, and routines that lead back to use and rehearsing different responses.
- Motivational enhancement therapy — useful when part of you wants to stop and part of you does not.
- Contingency management — tangible rewards tied to verified negative tests, where a program offers it.
Withdrawal is real but not medically dangerous. SAMHSA's detoxification guidance covers marijuana among substances with withdrawal syndromes: irritability, anxiety, disrupted sleep, and craving typically peak in the first week and ease over the following weeks. Planning for that window — telling someone, clearing the first week, having support lined up — makes the difference more often than grit does.
What is available within 30 miles of Scranton?
The SAMHSA treatment locator lists 30 substance use facilities within 30 miles of Scranton:
- 25 offering outpatient services
- 9 with residential programs
- 7 offering detoxification (relevant when cannabis use is bundled with alcohol or opioids, which do need supervised withdrawal)
- 21 that prescribe buprenorphine and 3 federally certified opioid treatment programs, if opioids are also part of the picture
Publicly funded assessment and referral run through the Lackawanna and Susquehanna County Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs at 570-963-6820, the single county authority for the two counties. Counts change as programs open and close, so confirm by phone.
The local picture in numbers
CDC's provisional county-level data count 48 drug overdose deaths in Lackawanna County in the 12 months ending December 2025, down from 55 the year before. Cannabis rarely kills on its own, but it is often mixed into the polysubstance picture behind those deaths — one more reason an honest assessment of all substance use belongs in treatment, not just the substance you are most worried about.
Paying for treatment
Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid, and Medical Assistance covers medically necessary substance use disorder treatment, including outpatient counseling and intensive outpatient programs. Physical HealthChoices plans in the Northeast region include AmeriHealth Caritas Northeast, Geisinger Health Plan, Jefferson Health Plans EverWell, and UPMC for You. For Medicaid members in Lackawanna County, behavioral health and drug and alcohol benefits are managed by Community Care Behavioral Health (member services: 1-866-668-4696; 24/7 crisis: 1-833-822-3010). If you are uninsured, the PA Get Help Now line at 1-800-662-4357 can point you to publicly funded and sliding-fee options.
How to start today
- In a medical emergency, call 911. For a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988, or reach the Scranton Counseling Center crisis line at 570-348-6100.
- Call or text (800) 653-9376 to talk through options with a treatment specialist, or use this form:
Calling is free; the referral service is paid for by treatment providers, and we check your benefits before you commit.
- Call the county Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs at 570-963-6820 for an assessment, or search findtreatment.gov from a Scranton ZIP code.
- Ask each program whether it treats cannabis use disorder specifically and how it handles co-occurring anxiety or depression — the answers separate programs that take this seriously from ones that shrug it off.
Quitting cannabis is harder than the jokes suggest, and easier with a counselor who has walked people through it before. The assessment call is short; make it this week.
Other Marijuana treatment in Pennsylvania: Marijuana treatment in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Marijuana treatment in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Marijuana treatment in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Marijuana treatment in Erie, Pennsylvania, Marijuana treatment in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Marijuana treatment in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Marijuana treatment in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Marijuana treatment in New Castle, Pennsylvania, Marijuana treatment in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Marijuana treatment in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Marijuana treatment in Reading, Pennsylvania, Marijuana treatment in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Last updated: Sat Oct 24 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Frequently asked questions
Can you be addicted to marijuana?
Yes. NIDA notes that some people who use cannabis develop cannabis use disorder, a recognized medical pattern of continued use despite harm. Heavy use can also lead to withdrawal — irritability, sleep trouble, craving — and, in some frequent users, cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome with repeated vomiting.
Is there a medication for cannabis use disorder?
No. SAMHSA notes the FDA has approved medications for alcohol and opioid use disorders; there is no FDA-approved medication for cannabis use disorder, so treatment relies on counseling and behavioral therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement, and contingency management.
Where can I get marijuana treatment near Scranton?
The SAMHSA locator lists 30 substance use treatment facilities within 30 miles of Scranton, including 25 offering outpatient services and 9 with residential programs. The Lackawanna and Susquehanna County Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs at 570-963-6820 handles publicly funded assessment and referral.
Will quitting marijuana show up as withdrawal?
For many heavy, regular users, yes — irritability, anxiety, sleeplessness, and craving are common in the first week or two and fade over time. SAMHSA's detoxification guidance treats withdrawal as something to plan for, not something to be surprised by. It is not medically dangerous like alcohol withdrawal, but support makes sticking with it easier.
Does Medicaid cover marijuana addiction treatment?
Yes, for eligible members. Pennsylvania Medical Assistance covers medically necessary substance use disorder treatment, including outpatient counseling. Northeast-region Physical HealthChoices plans include AmeriHealth Caritas Northeast, Geisinger Health Plan, Jefferson Health Plans EverWell, and UPMC for You.