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The drug is often consumed by smoking, vaporizing, or incorporating it into food and beverages. About 1 in 10 people who use marijuana get addicted or have cannabis use disorder. This means you can’t stop using it even if it harms your relationships, school, job, health, or finances.

How Common Is Marijuana Addiction?

The legal implications of marijuana use and addiction can have lasting effects on individuals and communities. The social and cultural context of marijuana use plays a significant role in shaping perceptions of its addictive potential and overall impact. Marijuana addiction is often considered less severe than addiction to other substances, such as alcohol, nicotine, or opioids.

• As societal acceptance of marijuana grows alongside its availability, understanding and addressing cannabis use disorder remains crucial for public health initiatives.
• The method of consumption influences the intensity and duration of effects, with some posing greater health risks than others.
• As my receptors returned, so did my appreciation for everyday beauty.
• Imaging tests found that some adolescents who used marijuana had fewer connections in parts of the brain linked to alertness, learning, and memory.
• Physically, dependence manifests through withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, sleep disturbances, decreased appetite, and physical discomfort, often leading to increased cannabis consumption to alleviate these symptoms.

What Are the Dangers of Lacing Marijuana with Other Substances?

While some argue that marijuana is less harmful and addictive than other substances, others highlight the growing evidence of marijuana dependence and addiction among regular users. Marijuana addiction can lead to various physical health issues, particularly when use is frequent or long-term. These health consequences can affect multiple bodily systems and may worsen over time.

Marijuana Addiction Criteria

Previous preclinical and clinical studies indicate that features of the three stages of drug addiction described by Koob and Volkow are also present in cannabis addiction (Fig. 1), although these findings may not be as robust as other drugs of abuse. NAC is being investigated as an anticraving agent in cannabis addiction therapy due to its regulatory role in glutamate and dopamine signaling (Samuni et al. 2013). NAC helps regulate the intra- and extracellular levels of glutamate through the cysteine-glutamate antiporter. Increased extracellular glutamate levels activate inhibitory metabotropic glutamate receptors, reducing glutamate neurotransmission (Samuni et al. 2013). The upregulation of glutamate signaling during the anticipation/preoccupation phase may be counteracted with NAC treatment, reducing clinical symptoms of craving is marijuana addictive and therefore reducing relapse rates. A 2014 review article summarizes two studies that evaluated NAC therapy in CUD.

• Teenagers tend to use drugs when faced with uncertain changes or stressors.
• The focus area is the symptoms of anxiety, depression, or other psychiatric conditions that are worsened by cannabis use.
• You may have ongoing coughing with colored mucus, and your lungs may more easily pick up infections.
• According to Onwuzo CN et al.’s 2024 study “A Review of Smoking Cessation Interventions,” published in the Cureus Journal, MET can significantly improve treatment outcomes, with a 30% increase in successful quit rates among participants.
• Just like liquor stores are licensed to sell different types of alcohol, cannabis dispensaries have permits to sell weed.
• People can speak with a healthcare professional for support with their substance use.
• Marijuana has been utilized for thousands of years for both medicinal and recreational purposes.

The CDC states that you have a 10% risk of a cannabis use disorder if you use marijuana. Using marijuana may raise your chances of clinical depression or worsen the symptoms of a mental health condition that you already have. Cigarette companies argued for decades that a predisposition for cancer and the tendency to inhale cigarette smoke just coincidentally occur in the same people. In both cases, common sense and mounting evidence point to the same thing.

• They’re highly effective at increasing self-control, identifying problematic behavioral patterns and relapse triggers, and developing strategies to overcome marijuana misuse.
• It triggers receptors in your brain called endocannabinoid receptors.
• Keep a close eye on your kids if you get divorced, move, or have to send them to a different school.
• And instead of marijuana’s characteristic dream suppression, someone in marijuana withdrawal might have intense, vivid dreams when asleep.

Welch described his first week without marijuana after about a decade of daily use as one filled with sleepless nights and irritable days. Volkow explained that the patterns of activity in the brain shift from the drug activating reward centers to activating other, nearby regions related to the formation of habits. One marijuana user, Conrad, age 47, of San Francisco, said that when he can’t smoke, he drinks more. A 2014 review looked at the available research regarding people with epilepsy using marijuana to ease their seizures.

Signs and Symptoms of Marijuana Addiction #

Bondi has been less receptive to marijuana reforms than Trump’s first choice for the job, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, a longtime advocate of legalizing cannabis for recreational use. However, the hope among marijuana advocates and the industry is that Trump will move unilaterally and not allow a campaign promise to get bogged down by bureaucratic procedures set up by his predecessor and onetime political rival. Both ads also laud Trump for championing patient access to experimental treatments in his first term and suggest that taking steps to ease federal marijuana restrictions would be in line with the president’s agenda. For the meta-analysis, the researchers pooled data from 12 previously published research studies that collectively included over 75 million people. The studies were rated as being of moderate to good quality in terms of methodology. Of the 12 studies, 10 were conducted in the United States, one in Canada and one in India.

However, more research is necessary to accurately estimate cannabis addiction levels among current users. A 2023 study of cannabis use in young adults in South Florida also found varying knowledge about this substance among participants. Researchers suggest that most people’s knowledge comes from personal experience and anecdotal evidence. Key to navigating this is building a robust set of healthy coping mechanisms for stress, anxiety, and life’s larger hurdles, which can significantly reduce the appeal of turning to substances for relief. Preventing weed addiction involves understanding the myriad factors that might lead someone down the path of cannabis or substance dependence. Mindfulness practices, such as deep breathing and body scans, actively reduce stress levels and enhance the ability to manage anxiety and mood fluctuations.

How to Avoid CUD

Talk to your doctor if you have questions about how to stop using marijuana or your symptoms. If you think you’re addicted to marijuana, getting an early diagnosis can help with treatment and prevent the risk of chronic conditions like schizophrenia. Just like liquor stores are licensed to sell different types of alcohol, cannabis dispensaries have permits to sell weed.

Also known as Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD), addiction goes beyond physical dependence and includes psychological dependence. This means the person has a mental and emotional reliance on marijuana and may use it to cope with stress, anxiety, or other feelings, often prioritizing its use over other important responsibilities and interests. While many people think of marijuana as relatively harmless, research shows that regular and heavy use can lead to Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD), a clinical term for marijuana addiction. Cannabis use disorder involves continued use of the substance even though the person experiences negative health or life effects from it. Like any drug used medicinally, the potential risks of use are weighed against the potential benefits when deciding what should and should not be tried. Learn more about marijuana addiction, risk factors, effects on the brain, and more.