“Is Marijuana addictive?” It is a common question because most people automatically assume that it is not an addictive substance based on their knowledge of the drug and the culture that surrounds it. On the other hand, more and more people these days are seeking treatment for dependency on the drug, and some people definitely seem to show real signs of addiction. So what is the right answer? Is it addictive?
Let’s take a look and find out.
Traditional wisdom
The traditional wisdom regarding Marijuana use is that very few people even become habitual users of the drug. Many people try it at least once but most people do not turn into what we call “pot heads.” On the other hand, the same is true of alcohol. Pretty much everyone is exposed to alcohol at some point but very few people actually become alcoholics. So a low percentage of addiction is not really noteworthy, as this is the case with other addictive drugs as well.
Now does habitual use mean that a person is addicted? Not necessarily. But in practical terms, this difference really does not matter much. If someone wants to change their life then the fine line between “bad habit” and “full blown addiction” really does not matter. Many people who become heavy users of Marijuana would like to quit for a variety of reasons, including some of the following:
1) It is illegal and therefore risky behavior.
2) Smoking it daily affects the health negatively (harsh cough, obvious damage to the lungs, etc.)
3) The drug begins to dominate your lifestyle. It influences how you spend your time, the people you hang around with, etc. It thus limits your freedom.
4) Smoking it daily stunts your personal and emotional growth. You use it to medicate your feelings instead of learning and growing through new situations.
And so on. So there are a number of reasons that people would like to stop using Marijuana in order to improve their lives. The fact that some people experience these negative consequences but continue to use Marijuana points to the idea of addiction as well.
But in addition to all this, consider the following points about Marijuana:
* There is evidence that it activates reward centers in the brain.
* Heavy users seem to develop tolerance (it takes more and more of the drug for them to reach the same level of “high”).
* Withdrawal might be really mild, but people do report cravings, and others say they feel sluggish and “down” if they go without it.
* Physical addiction in the body is beside the point, people get wrapped up in a lifestyle of smoking marijuana every day
* There is evidence that Marijuana is indeed a gateway drug, and can lead users to other substances that are also harmful to them (though in reality, Marijuana addiction is bad enough, when you consider all of the negative ways in which it can and does impact a person’s life).
All of these points seem to reinforce the idea that Marijuana is addictive, so let’s look at them in greater detail.
Marijuana seems to be addictive in a physical sense for heavy users
A certain percentage of people who smoke Marijuana end up becoming very heavy users of it. These are people who smoke a lot of Marijuana every single day. For people in this class of user, it seems that they actually do experience some signs of physical addiction.
For example, if they go through a day or two where they can not get any of the drug, they complain that they feel lethargic and depressed. These are difficult withdrawal symptoms to measure but they are definitely real symptoms nonetheless.
Marijuana is clearly addictive in terms of psychological dependence
The biggest point here is not really physical addiction regarding Marijuana, but rather the idea of psychological addiction is what is important. This is because Marijuana is very addictive to some people in a psychological sense because the person uses the drug to basically escape reality and to medicate their feelings.
For example, consider someone who has been smoking Marijuana for most of their life. They use the drug almost every day, and they justify the use of it for almost any situation. They get high to celebrate. They get high to compensate for a bad day at work. They get high when they feel sick in order to feel better. They get high when they have to deal with a bunch of drama in their life. Getting high became their default response to almost everything in their life, and so they developed this pattern of managing their entire life through getting high with Marijuana. This is addiction. They might not be physically hooked on the drug, but they rely on Marijuana as a crutch to get them through almost every event in their life. They are psychologically addicted.
It is worth noting that anyone who is psychologically addicted to Marijuana like this is also cross addicted with other drug, whether they realize it or not. In other words, people who are self medicating in this manner could very easily switch to another drug or substance and find that it works just as well for them. In other words, they are in greater danger of experiencing cross addiction. This is due to the fact that they are not really hooked on Marijuana, instead they are addicted to medicating their emotions and using a chemical to escape from reality.
Everyone who smokes Marijuana is not going to become psychologically addicted like this. But many people who smoke it every day for long periods of time are in danger of becoming psychologically addicted.
Marijuana is clearly addictive in terms of a social dependency
The other way in which Marijuana is deeply addictive is in the social sense of the drug. This is what people are referring to when they say that someone is “addicted to the lifestyle.” People who smoke Marijuana together will naturally develop some level of social bond with each other. To give up smoking Marijuana is to give up this bond. Depending on the person, and also on how old they are, this can be a really big deal.
This also points to how Marijuana use can become a self esteem issue for young people. They might try using Marijuana for the first time and realize suddenly that doing so has earned them “automatic friendship” among others who are also smoking. This is an instant ego boost for any young person who suffers from low self esteem. It is also easy to see why someone can become trapped in the cycle of addiction this way because they are not willing to walk away from their new friends.
People who become heavy users of Marijuana will, over time, end up having a social network built up in their life of almost exclusively other Marijuana users. This is the lifestyle part of drug addiction that gives their life meaning. Part of staying hooked on Marijuana is in not wanting to abandon this network of friends.
Marijuana really is a gateway drug in some cases
The idea that Marijuana is a gateway drug has been thrown around a lot, but I believe that there is some truth to the theory based on my own experience. I started with Marijuana and the use of it made me curious enough to try alcohol and other drugs as well. It’s not real clear to me that Marijuana is actually the cause of experimenting with other drugs, as I think in most cases it is actually the result of that interest in exploring different “highs.” Nevertheless, smoking weed can definitely lead to trying other drugs, simply due to the social nature of the drug and the culture that surrounds it. If you smoke Marijuana long enough with a large variety of people then eventually you will be introduced to other substances as well. Whether or not you choose to use those other substances is up to you, but most people who are immersed into this drug culture are eventually going to explore a bit.
In the end I don’t think this point matters much though, because Marijuana addiction is bad enough all by itself, and it doesn’t much matter if it leads the user to “harder” drugs. To suggest that this is the main problem with Marijuana addiction is to belittle the fact that Marijuana use by itself is really quite harmful and damaging to a person on a number of different levels.
Let’s look at it another way….addiction = loss of freedom
Regardless of whether or not you buy into the idea that Marijuana is addictive physically, socially, or psychologically, being caught up in the lifestyle of smoking weed on a regular basis is still going to ultimately mean the same thing: a loss of freedom.
What more is addiction, really, then when you have to do something? You have lost your choice in the matter and now you have to smoke Marijuana in order to get by. If this is the case with you or someone you know, then it matters little if we label it as addiction or not. The fact of the matter is that they are trapped in a cycle and they have to smoke Marijuana in order to feel normal and to deal with their everyday life.
In this way, it has become an emotional crutch for the user and they are using the drug to medicate their feelings. If something bad happens in their life, then they definitely need to smoke that day. If they become stressed out over events that have occurred in their life, they have to smoke then as well. Using a substance as an emotional crutch like this qualifies as an addiction in my book.
Is Marijuana addictive? Only to the extent that it dominates someone’s life and removes their freedom. If you take a look at heavy marijuana users or people who smoke regularly, you will see that they are making great sacrifices and taking big risks in order to continue to self medicate with the drug.
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Thank you Patrick for attempting to bring light to the fact that this can be addicting to people, maybe not everyone, maybe not even a majority, but for some, it is addicting.
For those of you who are arguing over the wording of “addicting” versus habitual….here is the definition of addict from the websters dictionary….”one who is psychologically or physiologically dependent (as on a drug)”
Notice it says psycologically (mentally) OR physiologically (physically). So, there can be no denying (of course people will), that weed CAN be addictive, just like alcohol, just like sleeping pills, just like some prescription medications, etc. That doesn’t mean it is addictive for everyone.
I have tried MJ, never got into it. I have my 17 yr old nephew living with me now because of his lifestyle choices, one of which is MJ. Some of the others….prescription drugs, ICP, and gangs.
Before you go off on me….please LISTEN….I AM NOT BLAMING MJ!! It is a symptom of a larger problem. His home life sucks and he turned to MJ as a coping mechanism, which led him to a group of friends that all do MJ (and other crap), including gang activity. Now he believes that MJ is the ONLY thing that can get him through life, he hasn’t learned to cope and he is on a very slippery slope. He got his first high on MJ, and when it’s no longer available to him, he still wants the high and is turning to other things, prescription drugs, alcohol, household products, etc.
It’s very sad to see a bright young person turn into a raging lunatic because of any form of drugs.
I agree Anonymous, MJ is a symptom of a larger problem. It does not have to be a gateway drug, and in many cases it is not.
But for some, it clearly is. Thanks for your comment.
M J can be a gateway drug, but that don’t mean you’ll end up doing crack if you smoke M J.
Now really I can see every ones point. But lets face facts here. Marijuana is not and has not EVER been addictive! I speak from doing it for 15 years and quit. I’m also a smoker and have tired many times to quit that but could never seem to give it up. With pot, I put it down and never picked it up. I really felt no effects. Likes hands shaking or getting sick. You know, the signs that your body is telling you that you need the THC back in your body so it can go about it’s day. Is it or can it become a habit? Yes, but no matter how bad this habit might be it is not what we all call addictive. Because again, the signs of withdrawal are not there. This also comes for many of my friends who have quit or tried. The ones who did quit only quit because they really wanted to and those who didn’t because they being told they had to. But even with all that if you can show me one person who (is a “heavy” user) and got sent to jail and could not get out of bed because the withdrawals were so bad. Then I would be able to agree with you. But that is not the case. What tends to happen with people who answer this question tend to base their answer around their personal opinions. If you are against pot, you will never admit to it being non-addictive and vise versa. And the government will not do anything about this because they make way to much money off keeping it illegal. But that is another topic.
Defining addiction through the presence of withdrawal alone is too narrow. For example, there are no withdrawal symptoms with sex addiction and gambling addiction either, but those go beyond mere “habits,” fox…..
I think marijuana is addictive in the same way that some people are addicted to certain types of food, or deserts. People who smoke marijuana regularly, then stop smoking, do not go through painful withdrawal sickness like cigarette smokers or heroin users.
I disagree, Paul D….because marijuana can medicate emotions so much better than “certain types of foods or desserts.” Just my opinion, and I still appreciate yours….
marijuana makes people funny!
Speaking from current and past experience, I agree 100% with previous statements that MJ can, in certain cases be addictive. I have smoked Mj for 4 years, not a lifetimes worth, but plenty enough to know it’s affects on my body. After consistent use for even a few months, I was unable to eat when I wasn’t “high.” The mere thought of food was enough to bring a salty taste in my mouth (like I was goig to puke). That right there told me that Mj can in fact be addicting, I needed it to eat. Or at least my mind or body was telling me so.
So after finding this out I continued to use the drug. Still noticIng that everytime I don’t have it I won’t eat.
I wake up in the morning with a bad stomach ache everyday. If I go a few hours without it n the morning I start to feel really out of it and loopy. I took a trip to see my dad this week. I have only been three days without it, but it seemed like a lot longer. I have gone through phases like this before with long periods without MJ. Everytime with the same feelings. This time seemingly worse. I haven’t had a bit to eat since yesterday ( half bowl of soup), and I feel alot more sick than normal, throwing up a few times. No, it’s not the flu. For one, I have experienced the flu many times and this is most definately not the same feeling.
My conclusions that MJ can be addictive is based on my own personal experience. I’ve wanted to quit for A while and find it very troublesome because I personally like the drug. However I don’t like the consequences. Recently I have started to get heart palpitations, I think it’s time too find my solution.
Also, saying that MJ is a gateway drug is bullshit. That’s just someones excuse for making bad decisions. The drug didnt make their decision. They did.
Everyone here has made an excellent point, and no one is right or wrong. Indeed, i must admit that in some cases MJ can be somewhat psycologically addincting, but that is not the majority. My entire family (asside from my mom) has smoked weed quite frequently when they were young, including me. However, you can say that my younger brother got psycologically addicted to it. Why? I suppose because we never really had a “normal” life, the society we lived in, and the people around us, as well as other personal reasons. I have gone about 5 months or so without touching it, and feel great with or without it. But my younger brother was so emotionally unstable and severely depressed that when he had to stop for a while, he became even more depressed to the point where we got worried. But in the end he managed to simply stop doing it with a change of atmosphere. We sent him to Lima, Peru wot go live with my grandparents for a while and i must admit, it was the best thing we could ever do for him. Being so caught up with a different culture, a different way of life, and so many other things to do, he simply had forgotten about marijuana all in all. So you see everything that “Patrick” had stated IS 100% true and I am not arguing with that. You see, if you smoke all day every day (like my younger brother) its almost certain that you may develop some type of dependancy for it. However, the same concept applies to food. If you eat a certain type of food every day, whether it be chocolate, salty foods, McDonalds, etc. and you eat this food when you are depressed, when you are tired, and even in celebration, it is OBVIOUS that one will most likely develop a dependency for this if it is taken away. Sure, there are no withdrawl symptoms, but what is the difference between food and marijuana? i mean, yes marijuana messes your lungs up, but i think i prefer messing my lungs rather than clogging my arteries with sugar and fat and being morbadly obese. But thats just me. All in all, MJ CAN be physically and or psycologically addicitng, but so can MANY other things; such as cutting, food, other drugs, bitting nails, etc. its all a matter of what you choose in order to have “fun” get rid of your “anger” or to just “relax”.
Ther are many opinions out there and everyone has a right to express them. But FACT is, although MJ may result to some types of addiction for some people, then by damn it so can chocolate. I would know because i crave chocolate and know many other people who do, and that is something that i have NEVER experienced with MJ nor anyone else i’ve ever know, not even my brother. And that right there my friends is not an opinion, it is a FACT!
It seems that marijuana is only addictive to people that are already ill equipped to handle reality. If so little people ever become addicted to it, then WHY is marijuana viewed so negatively by everyone?! Marijuana is not the problem. Just think about all the things out there so much worse for you that ARE legal.
I should probably mention that I am a heavy pot smoker and have never experienced any symptoms of withdrawal in all the years that I’ve been smoking it.
Hmmm…..a lot of people are addicted to coffee, but it is not a big problem. Why? Because the consequences are minimal (the health community says the benefits may even outweigh the negatives at this point) and the withdrawal from caffeine is quite minimal.
A lot like marijuana, actually. Just because it is not devastating like alcohol withdrawal is (which can be fatal) does not mean the drug is harmless. Addiction is characterized by more than just toxicity levels and presence of withdrawal symptoms. Those are factors in diagnosing addiction, yes. But they are not the whole story.
The bottom line is that many people who smoke a lot of pot develop a problem in their life because of it. No, marijuana *itself* may not be the problem. But smoking it every single day is a symptom of a deeper problem that lies at the root of addiction. It is a way to self medicate. I know this because I lived it for several years….avoiding reality and medicating my emotions by getting high. Is it as bad as drinking a half gallon of vodka and smashing your car? No, but that’s not the point. It is still addictive, and damaging, at least for me (and for some others).
listen ive smoked marijuana for the past 10 years i started smoking it when i was 14 and my mother always said “your going to get addicted i dont want that” and one day she looked at me and called me a drug addict. i said you really think im addicted? she responded yes…i quit smoking for 3 months with out a problem. i never smoked or did anything besides marijuana and i have NEVER drank alchohol i dont plan on it either. i smoke marijuana cause i have stomach problems i get very bad pain every now and then along with nausea and MJ is the ONLY thing that helps i have tried a million other medicines and nothing works i dont think i speak for myself when i say “If i wanted to quit marijuana i could do it without a problem” and with that said i believe anyone with a harmfull condition that has tried medicines and nothing works should be allowed to smoke marijuana in peace with out anyone judging or giving them names like “potheads”. marijuana has NEVER killed anyone and an overdose is IMPOSSIBLE you would have to smoke 15,000 joints in 15 minutes to do so. alchohol has killed millions of people why is it that illegal? why dont i see people getting arrested for drinking but us people who smoke marijuana are always getting fucked with. I just think we have the right to be pain free and if you dont like it dont smoke it were not obligating you too its a decision a person makes and if they wanted to they would stop otherwise they’ll keep smoking. And all that deeper problem stuff is BULLSHIT i hate all you doctors speaking out false about it only because you know it will overthrow your proffesion, marijuana is a pain reliever admitt it its not addictive and it doesnt kill brain cells.. its a medicine something people rely on
All I wanna say is that my entire family has come in contact with a drugs and substances of all sorts. Everybody drinks, most have smoked this or that at one point in time. Hell I’m underage and know more about drugs and alcohol than most people will ever know. Just the fact that I know how to cook this and flip that, how many oz. is for that, how to stretch this, it freaks me out. But I’ve tried several drugs that are a wide variety of things, like LSD, inhalants, codeine, angel dust, crosses, blow, shrooms, and much more. I guess you could say I am a generally screwed up individual, but I’m not addicted to any of this.
I was one of those kids that would come home everyday and just get so high that I couldn’t talk and would just sit there and drool. All through school I would just go home grab whatever I could find, be it drugs or some inhalant or something and just go get scrambled. And I was a multiple time user for all of those things in the list, but around 12 months ago one of my friends was like, ay man that stuff is gonna mess you up so bad you gon end up in a coma, so I just quit it and that was it. No withdraw. No nothin. If anything there seemed to be more time in a day, and I started noticeing more stuff in my life. The only thing I didn’t leave behind was weed (and/or hash) because that stuff just flat out makes me relax after a hard day at school or work. (Yea I miss school for work, you would do the same if you were down here up in this building hearing the neighbors yell through the walls)
So anyway a few weeks ago I decided to quit all drugs clean. And just vapped one more time and left the stuff behind. There has been nothing, no withdrawal. The only thing that has been hard for me has been alcohol and I just haven’t been able no matter how hard I try to put down that bottle in the bag. So I guess I’m an alcoholic but I dropped the coke and weed in a day but haven’t been able to set down the bottle in over a year. Why is all the fuss about weed which it is impossible to OD on and even all those smart scientists can not even tell if you can develop a physical dependence on it? Why would you take the chronic but keep the bottle?
Weed is not addicting, all those cancers and stuff they tell you that you can get is just from smoking. You could smoke almost anything and you’re gonna develop some health factors. To all my fellow users of the weed, I quit easy, you can too, and to anyone that is afraid of the consequences, use the vaporizer, research it please. It is no gateway drug, all those docs say that these druggies did the chronic before they did the blow, but they also went to sleep, they also brushed their teeth, they also put on clothes.
And finally you can be addicted to anything. Think about this, the endorphines that are released in your brain during an orgasm are the same chemical that are released by cocaine. So how can a natural thing be compared to something man-made and made to seem worse?
I have heard anyone talk about the consequences that it brings to our community. It doesnt effect your brain motor skills. Just a couple of weeks ago a kid cause a trible accident because of under the influence of pot.
Someone pays the price.
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