A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Buspirone for Treatment of Marijuana Dependence

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy men and women, 18 years of age to 65 years of age.
• Meet DSM-IV criteria for marijuana dependence.
• All subjects will agree to and sign a written, IRB-approved informed consent.
• Subjects must live within a 60-mile radius of Charleston, SC, in order to improve study visit compliance.
• Subjects must be willing to identify collateral individuals for contact purposes to facilitate follow-up appointments.

Exclusion criteria

• Individuals meeting DSM-IV dependence for a substance other than marijuana with the exception of nicotine and caffeine. Dependence on nicotine and caffeine will be allowed since dependence on these substances commonly co-occurs with marijuana dependence and excluding these individuals would compromise study recruitment.
• Individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for a lifetime history of schizophrenia or another non-affective psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder, since these patients will most likely be taking other psychotropic medications and often require intensive psychiatric care.
• Individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for current major depressive disorder or eating disorder, since these individuals will likely require treatment with psychotropic medications.
• Individuals who present significant suicidal risk.
• Individuals with significant cognitive impairment, as they may be unable to understand the informed consent, comply with study protocol, or accurately complete assessments.
• Individuals currently receiving benzodiazepines, antidepressant or antipsychotic medications, as these medications could confound the effects of buspirone treatment.
• Pregnant or nursing women, or women who refuse to use adequate birth control, as buspirone has not been approved for use in pregnancy.
• Individuals without stable housing, as contacting these individuals would be difficult.
• Individuals with major medical illnesses (e.g., HIV, renal failure, unstable angina, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, infectious hepatitis).
• Individuals who, in the investigators' opinion, would not be able to comply with study procedures, such as individuals unable to reliably present for intake appointments.