The manual presents 10 weekly one-on-one sessions that together constitute "brief marijuana dependence counseling" (BMDC). In these sessions, a counselor helps a client understand certain topics related to treatment for marijuana dependence, keep his/her determination to change, learn new skills, and access needed community supports. The manual first explains the rationale for BMDC by documenting the existence of adverse symptoms from moderate-to-heavy use of marijuana. The contribution of physical dependence to chronic marijuana use is not yet clear, but the existence of a dependence syndrome is unquestioned. Regular users of marijuana have reported impairment of memory, concentration, motivation, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, health, employment, or finances related to their chronic use of marijuana. The manual then explains the theoretical basis for BMDC treatment, along with the BMDC strategy, therapeutic tasks, and target population. This is followed by a section that presents potential pitfalls in BMDC and guidelines for handling issues that may arise. The details of the assessment session with the client are described in another section of the manual. Other sessions of the BMDC are outlined in other sections. Six sessions address coping with life problems, understanding marijuana use patterns, coping with cravings and urges to use marijuana, managing thoughts about marijuana use, problem-solving, and marijuana refusal skill. The manual's final section presents supplemental readings on the nature, prevalence, and consequences of marijuana dependence. Appended supplementary material and 98 references