Treatments for curbing marijuana dependence have been mainly based on psychosocial approaches, until now — sort of. 

Published in Addiction Biology, a new study suggests that the combination of topiramate — an anticonvulsant drug, which can also prevent migraine headaches — and psychological counseling limits marijuana use among young smokers more than counseling alone.

Researchers at Brown University recruited 66 volunteers who admitted to smoking at least twice weekly. These individuals, aged 15-24, agreed to be open to receiving psychological and drug treatment to reduce marijuana use. A little more than half of the study’s participants met clinical criteria for marijuana dependence or abuse.

“In this study, we defined cannabis dependence according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition,” Robert Miranda Jr., associate professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior in the Alpert Medical School at Brown University, said in an interview. “Participants met criteria for dependence if they continued to use marijuana even though they reported it caused clinically...