Marijuana and Addiction

[Flaneur]

There was a thread a few days ago in which the OP posted about marijuana's addictiveness. In the spirit of that discussion, I post an excerpt from Paul Armentano, NORML's science guy, on "The Feds Are Addicted to Pot Even if You Aren't."

Here's the link to the article: http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/144243/the_feds_are_addicted_to_pot_--_even_if_you_aren't?

...As for the feds' claim that today's pot "can produce serious physical and psychological consequences," it's apparent that the potential adverse effects of cannabis use are relatively minor when compared to those of legal drugs such as opiates (which are both physically habit-forming and capable of lethal overdose), alcohol (ditto) and tobacco. As for the potential physical and psychological consequences of kicking the pot habit, a newly published clinical trial in the scientific journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence raises some serious doubts about this fear as well.

Investigators at four separate German universities assessed the self-reported withdrawal symptoms of 73 subjects diagnosed with "cannabis dependence" who resided in an inpatient facility. Overall, investigators determined that fewer than 50 percent of the trial subjects reported experiencing physical or psychological withdrawal symptoms of any clinical significance, even though all of the patients had a diagnosis of cannabis dependence according to DSM-IV criteria. Further, among the minority who did report such symptoms, "The intensity of most self-reported symptoms peaked on day one and decreased subsequently."

And just what were the most commonly reported symptoms? The authors concluded: "The most frequently mentioned physical symptoms of strong or very strong intensity on the first day were sleeping problems (21 percent), sweating (28 percent), hot flashes (21 percent), and decreased appetite (15 percent). ... Other often highly rated psychological symptoms included restlessness (20 percent), nervousness (20 percent), and sadness (19 percent)."

In short, marijuana's withdrawal symptoms, when documented at all, are mild and subtle compared to the profound physical syndromes associated with ceasing chronic alcohol or heroin use, which can be fatal, or those abstinence symptoms associated with daily tobacco use, which are typically severe enough to persuade individuals to reinitiate their drug-taking behavior. This explains why most pot smokers voluntarily cease their cannabis use by age 30 with little physical or psychological difficulty.

[tridim]

1. I get the jimmy legs and can't sleep well for one night.

BFD.

It's 100 times easier to quit than LEGAL nicotine.

[Ganja Ninja]

2. Marijuana withdrawal is like coming off a 4 day weekend.

It's a bummer but it's nothing. There is no withdrawal. I'd still like to get high but I'm not going to flop on the floor and start twitching if I don't.

[imdjh]

4. We used to quit for a few days as a reset.

[maxpower]

33. Exactly

Lower the tolerance.

Peace,
Max

[imdjh]

3. I aged out of pot at 24 and alcohol at about 32. Cigarettes at 50. But I think the fact people ...

.... get arrested for pot tells you something about how they feel about it. The fact that it's illegal ought to make it more trouble than it's worth, but people keep risking their money and freedom for it.

[intheflow]

7. For those of us who can't stand alcohol

it's the only option. I never have enough to be arrested for it here in Denver (up to an ounce is decriminalized).

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

31. so sad

You kept the habits that cause cancer and ditched the one that fights it. You didn't "age out of " cannabis use: you were ADDICTED to tobacco and NOT ADDICTED to marijuana.

[Johonny]

34. interesting

I think the problem with that is in many areas it really isn't that hard to acquire. You can't purchase alcohol or tobacco until a certain age yet most people use both before that age. By your logic they wouldn't. If people have already used "legal" drugs illegally, it's probably no surprise they also may use pot as well.

Frankly I have no use for any of that crap.

[intheflow]

5. I can get a little grumpy for a day.

Nothing compared to the raving, raging bitch I was for days each time I tried to quit cigarettes before it stuck. I have no problems sleeping without weed, and, sadly, no decrease in my appetite sans munchies.

[Screwball]

6. Not buying it

MJ is not addictive, end of story.

[intheflow]

8. You obviously didn't read the OP.

Since it said exactly what you said, that mj isn't addictive.

[Screwball]

10. Sure did

withdrawal symptoms = dependence

Don't buy a bit of the entire thing. Not addictive, no withdrawal, no nothing.

Happy to clear that up for you.

[intheflow]

28. and you speak for every marijuana smoker in the study and the world?

Puh-lease. I smoke, I get grumpy when I stop. That is called a mild withdrawal symptom, akin to the mild, short-lasting effects described in the article. The conclusion is the same in the article and in my own experience that while it may have some addictive qualities, they are negligible compared to other legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco, and (again from my own experience) coffee and chocolate.

[MilesColtrane]

9. I doubt that it's physically addicting.

On the other hand, I know folks who have smoked every day for the past 30 years, so...???

:shrug:

[Screwball]

12. Exactly

The most harmless intoxicant there is. It's a damn weed, grows anywhere, don't hurt a thing.

Only thing it may hurt is your lungs, but much better than cigs.

Roll'em and toke'em.

[Romulox]

13. I've driven a car almost every day for decades. Addicting?

:shrug:

[MilesColtrane]

18. If it's got enough horsepower...yes.

If you've driving a Yugo everyday, you're not an addict, you're a masochist.

[Soylent Brice]

24. HA!

:rofl:

[Uncle Joe]

19. I believe it is, otherwise some humans wouldn't risk destroying life as we know it by denying

global warming climate change.

Modern society has in a very real sense become addicted to the automobile and the car manufacturers had become addicted to the easy cash of staying with a tried but species destructive carbon fuel based mode instead of evolving to electric or hybrid at an earlier date.

[Romulox]

21. Then beef, private jets, flat screen tvs, and hairspray are also "addicting"

"Addicting" =/= "something we do even though it's bad for the environment". While appreciate the point you're making, it only serves to confuse the issue discussed in the OP.

[Uncle Joe]

30. You are correct, Romulox and I apologize. n/t

[MilesColtrane]

37. That's rich.

You're chastising someone for expounding on an analogy that YOU brought into the discussion.

[Romulox]

39. It was obviously an analogy offered up to demonstrate its own absurdity...

Did you not pick up on that part? :shrug:

At any rate, children are "chastised". The other poster and I were discussing the matter.

[Jamastiene]

11. I miss Mary Jane.

I don't think it was any kind of physical addiction. I just miss the relaxing feeling and relief from pain that I felt.

I wish they would just legalize marijuana and do more to stop meth labs. That would help more than anything. Meth is the one that is evil.

[MrScorpio]

14. I figure that if I never smoke it, I don't have to worry about withdrawal

But that's just me.

[snooper2]

15. "This explains why most pot smokers voluntarily cease their cannabis use by age 30"

I must have missed the memo :rofl:

[tridim]

25. I think that stat is pretty outdated..

I didn't really start smoking regularly UNTIL I was 32, the same year I started noticing and understanding the medical benefits.

[winyanstaz]

16. There is no problem to go without pot....

I just don't buy the "withdrawal" stuff...because it just isnt true.
They might want it..but they dont "Have" to have it.

[Fly by night]

17. K&R for a science-based discourse, not a truthiness diatribe ...

... like the other (to-be-unnamed) OP you referred to.

I agree that some people can be affected adversely by cannabis abuse or dependence, but they are the minority. As for other drugs, here's a summary of research I did among women seeking reproductive health services in Wyoming (half of whom were pregnant) back in the 90s. A comparison of the tobacco and marijuana use/dependence stats is informative. Of women in the study who had ever used tobacco, two-thirds were still using, half met the DSM criteria for lifetime tobacco dependence and more than one-third met current tobacco dependence criteria (even though tobacco use during pregnancy is fraught with peril for the developing fetus.)

By contrast, of the women who had ever used marijuana, less than one-fourth were still using, less than 10% had ever met DSM lifetime dependence criteria and less than 4% met current dependence criteria.

[Uncle Joe]

20. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Flaneur.

[endless october]

22. look for anti-pot nonsense to proliferate in the coming years.

the failed pot war is coming apart at the seams, and the drug warriors will make up anything they can to scare the sheep into supporting a new crackdown on it.

meanwhile, "safe" alcohol and tobacco are AOK.

[Lyric]

23. It's just anecdotal, but my I know someone who used marijuana

to battle opiate withdrawal after ceasing a long-term regimen of oxycodone use (post-surgery.) They had initially prescribed suboxone to him, but it wasn't working well and he was still in a lot of legitimate pain. He just didn't want to use the oxycodone anymore, as it was causing a lot of nasty intestinal side effects. The withdrawal from high doses of that stuff is a nightmare, but he said marijuana pretty much made him feel "normal," and he was able to stop using the marijuana a few weeks later with no withdrawal at all.

Purely anecdotal, and NOT medical advice, but still--it's yet another potential clinical use that perhaps should be explored.

[The_Commonist]

26. I'm starting a break today...

...after a couple of months of daily use.

I expect I will have a little trouble falling asleep tonight.
I'll be a little grumpy tomorrow.
Tomorrow night and the next night, I'll have vivid dreams.
My energy will increase for a few days.
Then at the end of the week, I'll start to get a little bored.
I'll be a little more clear-headed, but I won't feel particularly creative.
Then I'll decide that I want to do some jamming or writing or something, and after sitting down to it and not having much juice, I'll give my friend a call.

Then, it will taste better and be more effective for a few days.
I'll have more vivid dreams again for a couple of nights.
I'll feel more creative and sleep better.
The downside will be, I'll want to take more naps, and be a bit more forgetful.
Not a problem...

[HamdenRice]

35. "I'll be a little more clear-headed," -- Rofl!

If only stoners realized what a month pot free feels like! At that point, few ever go back.

[The_Commonist]

36. Oh, I've been there, and done that.

I don't prefer it.
The little bit of clarity that I gain is offset by the lot of creativeness that I lose.
Actually, I trade one type of clarity for another.
I've gone years at a time without it.
Long, boring, uncreative years.

But that's just me.
Your mileage may vary...

[redqueen]

42. What was it Bill Hicks said about drugs and art?

If you don't think drugs have done good things for us, then take all of your records, tapes and CD's and burn them.


He also has a great rant re: pot vs. alcohol.

[roody]

41. I've smoked it for 30 years regularly.

I go on a one month vacation without it and I don't even think about mj. Or a week, or a weekend.

[Blue_In_AK]

27. I've been smoking pot pretty regularly since 1967,

but I don't suffer any symptoms at all when I don't have it. I never board a plane with it for obvious reasons, so anytime we go on vacation I'm usually without for however long we're gone. It's never a problem.

[Echo In Light]

29. K&R - thanks for posting

[Jokinomx]

32. I am addicted to food... I get severe pains when I don't ingest...:-)

Smoked off and on for over 30 years... never had a hard time quitting. Should be legal and controlled end of story.

Load it and smoke it... that is what I say.

[mdmc]

38. yup.. pot is dangerous and should be legal..

k/r

[Gman2]

40. To those thinking todays pot is somehow MORE potent, think again!

Almost all pot is grown indoors now. This makes beautiful perfect buds. BUT, they have lacked the ultraviolet B. This has a significant effect on THC conversion. The UVB is necessary, to tear apart the preTHC mesh. This destruction, results in the active ingredient. Those in the know, add UVB to their indoor grow, to replace this vital natural function. This makes us better customers, as we smoke more, and feel less. Those, that have experienced outdoor grown, organic pot, know the diff.