Marijuana addiction research is a subject that has always fascinated me. In this article we will take a look at some research studies implicating a link between marijuana and addiction. Drug addiction research in general is liable for multiple interpretations, with groups putting their own spin on the findings. I suppose our spin here being that this site is aimed as a resource for marijuana addicts is to find evidence of addiction. With that boldly open disclaimer, let’s take a look at some research studies!
An interesting study on marijuana withdrawal at McLean Hospital in Boston shows some interesting results. Harvard trained psychiatrist Harrison Pope, who was one of the researchers involved in this study, says its results show “there is a clear (marijuana) withdrawal syndrome”. The study involved taking marijuana smokers who had smoked about 5,000 times in their lives and have them stop smoking (they were monitored via urine samples) and then observe the results. The withdrawal from not partaking in daily marijuana use primarily involved subjects becoming irritable, sleepless, and having little appetite. This lasted about 7 days and then subsided, the study said. Pope note that they did not “see craving even remotely to the degree you would with heroin or alcohol or cocaine,” but that some people in the study, having not been able to smoke marijuana, were “quite miserable.”
According to studies funded by NIH (National Institute of Health), long term marijuana usage can lead to marijuana addiction, which they rightly define as seeking marijuana compulsively in spite of understanding and experiencing its negative and harmful effects related to the users family, career, schooling, or recreational life. NIH also reports what seems to be the consensus in regards to the possibility of marijuana withdrawal, which is that it is a real problem for long term users when quitting pot, resulting in the user being irritable, experiencing insomnia, anxiety, a psychological craving for marijuana, and also losing their appetite. These marijuana withdrawal symptoms start about a day after stopping smoking, are worst on days two and three, and go away within a week or even two weeks after quitting.
A study on marijuana addiction by the Department of Psychiatry at John Hopkins found similar results in regards to people who have quit smoking marijuana. Researchers stated that the withdrawal experience of that from quitting marijuana is similar to that of cigarette withdrawal, an interesting parallel that many can relate to with cigarette addiction being entirely widespread in most countries of the world.
What are we to make of such researcher? I think a good logical case can be made that habitual usage of marijuana makes the body dependant on its continued usage, and cessation of marijuana usage results in withdrawal symptoms commonly associated with drug addiction and detoxification, with negative effects on the users mood, sleeping habits, appetite, while simultaneously experiencing a strong drug craving during this withdrawl period.
Does that mean marijuana is addictive? What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
Marijuana is addictive product since if we would like to quit, there is some symptom that makes us not like to quit it… we should be patient and strong enough in order to quit it successfully since these marijuana withdrawal symptoms start about a day after stopping smoking, are worst on days two and three, and go away within a week or even two weeks after quitting.
I smoked for most of my life and giving them up was extremely difficult. I used all of the stop smoking gadgets but none did the trick. Then I found the electric cigarette. The electric cigarette uses a nicotine juice that consists of just nicotine. No toxic substances at all. They have luckily improved my life.