Researchers in at the University of New South Wales are testing whether a pharmaceutical mouth spray could help ease the withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting pot.

"There is currently no targeted drug available to assist with cannabis withdrawal. Tobacco smokers have nicotine replacement therapies to assist them when they stop cigarette smoking and opiate users have synthetic opioids like methadone," said Jan Copeland, lead author of the study and head of the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre in Australia.

Cannabis withdrawal symptoms include insomnia, pot cravings and mood swings.

"Although these are not life-threatening, they are significant enough to cause marked distress and lead people to go back to using the drug," said Copeland.

Researchers are setting up a randomized trial of Sativex, a mouth spray available in Canada, the U.K. and Spain to relieve neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis patients.

The spray contains the cannabis extracts cannabidiol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the latter of which causes marijuana's psychoactive effects.

However, it contains TCH below the intoxication level.

"This study will investigate whether a pharmaceutical preparation of botanical cannabis known as Sativex has the potential to help cannabis users in a similar way (as a nicotine patch)," said Copeland.