F12.20 is cannabis dependence, uncomplicated — and every substance code in ICD-10-CM is built the same way, so the pattern is worth learning once rather than looking up ten times. The third character is the substance, the fourth is abuse, dependence or use, and what follows describes any complication. The rule that causes most denials sits at the fourth character: abuse, dependence and use are mutually exclusive for the same substance and can never appear together on a claim. Below: the pattern, the substance list and the CPT pairings.
This page is billing and administrative reference. It describes what a code means and whether it can be submitted. It is not clinical advice and does not tell anyone what to diagnose.
| Code | Title | Billable? |
|---|---|---|
| F10 | Alcohol related disorders | No |
| F11 | Opioid related disorders | No |
| F12 | Cannabis related disorders | No |
| F13 | Sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic related disorders | No |
| F14 | Cocaine related disorders | No |
| F15 | Other stimulant related disorders | No |
| F16 | Hallucinogen related disorders | No |
| F17 | Nicotine dependence | No |
| F18 | Inhalant related disorders | No |
| F19 | Other psychoactive substance related disorders | No |
None of these is billable on its own — each is a category header. F17 is the exception in the range: ICD-10-CM titles it “nicotine dependence” rather than “nicotine related disorders”, and it has no abuse or use branch.
This is the axis that matters, and it is the same for every substance:
ICD-10-CM records all three as Excludes1 against each other within a substance. For cannabis that means F12.1- excludes F12.2- and F12.9-, and so on around. A claim carrying two of them for the same substance is contradictory, not merely redundant — and that is the single most common cause of a denial in this range. Different substances are fine together: cannabis dependence and alcohol abuse can both appear.
After the fourth character the code describes the complication. Cannabis dependence shows the shape:
| Code | Title | Billable? |
|---|---|---|
| F12.2 | Cannabis dependence (incomplete) | No |
| F12.20 | Cannabis dependence, uncomplicated | Yes |
| F12.21 | Cannabis dependence, in remission | Yes |
| F12.10 | Cannabis abuse, uncomplicated | Yes |
| F12.11 | Cannabis abuse, in remission | Yes |
| F12.90 | Cannabis use, unspecified, uncomplicated | Yes |
The uncomplicated and in-remission codes are the ones an outpatient behavioral health practice uses most. The longer codes in each family describe intoxication, withdrawal and substance-induced disorders, and run to six characters.
Note that .1 is remission at the fifth character but abuse at the fourth. F12.1 is cannabis abuse; F12.21 is cannabis dependence in remission. The position changes the meaning, which is why these codes are easy to transpose.
Worth knowing even though it is not a coding rule. Records from federally assisted substance use disorder programmes carry protections under 42 CFR Part 2 that go beyond HIPAA, with their own consent requirements for disclosure. A diagnosis code on a claim is itself a disclosure. Practices treating substance use should understand whether Part 2 applies to them before deciding how these codes flow into shared systems, referrals or care-coordination tools.
DSM-5 collapsed DSM-IV's separate abuse and dependence diagnoses into a single substance use disorder graded mild, moderate or severe. ICD-10-CM did not follow and still splits abuse from dependence at the fourth character, so a clinician working from DSM-5 has a severity and the code set wants a category.
The crosswalk published by the American Psychiatric Association maps mild to the abuse branch (.1) and both moderate and severe to the dependence branch (.2), with the in-remission codes used where DSM-5 records early or sustained remission. Because moderate and severe share a code, the code itself does not preserve the DSM-5 severity — that belongs in the documentation.
| CPT | Service | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 90791 | Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation (no medical services) | — |
| 90832 | Individual psychotherapy | 16–37 minutes |
| 90834 | Individual psychotherapy | 38–52 minutes |
| 90837 | Individual psychotherapy | 53 minutes or more |
| 90847 | Family psychotherapy, patient present | 50 minutes typical |
| 90853 | Group psychotherapy | — |
A 50-minute session is 90834, not 90837 — 90837 begins at 53 minutes. CMS also sets a floor: psychotherapy under 16 minutes is not reported with these codes at all.
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No. F12.2 is incomplete and needs a fifth character — F12.20 for uncomplicated, F12.21 for in remission. The same shape applies to every substance in F10 to F19.
It depends on severity. Under the accepted DSM-5 crosswalk, mild maps to the abuse branch at F12.10 and moderate or severe to the dependence branch at F12.20.
No. ICD-10-CM lists abuse, dependence and use as Excludes1 against each other within a substance, so they are never reported together. Codes for different substances can appear together.
The third character is the substance, the fourth is abuse (.1), dependence (.2) or use (.9), and the characters after that describe any complication such as intoxication or withdrawal.
The F17 family. ICD-10-CM titles F17 nicotine dependence rather than nicotine related disorders, and unlike the other substances it has no abuse or use branch.
Check a code with Afia — freeCodes on this page were verified against the CMS ICD-10-CM code sets for FY2026 and FY2027 (FY2027 effective 1 October 2026). Last reviewed 19 September 2026. Verify against the current official code set before submitting.