Marijuana Addiction and Marijuana Dependency

This article is about the controversy around marijuana addiction. Many say that marijuana is addictive, many say it isn’t in the slightest. Usually in my debates with people, it comes down to these key terms: dependency and addiction. I’ve had some people try to tell me that after one puff you will be horribly addicted, from my experience this is false. Others go on to tell me that smoking creates a dependency, not an addiction. Before we continue however, we need to know exactly what those two words mean. The easiest definition for dependency is, to have dependence, dependence defined is thus : the state of being dependent, as for support. Addiction on the other is defined as compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance.

There is most certainly a fine line between the two words. I think it has to do with your mental state, more than anything else. I think the easiest answer to the question I am posing is yes, marijuana is addictive. It is estimated that 9% of ganja smokers will become addicted, tobacco users (32%) heroin users (23%) cocaine users (17%) and alcohol users (15%). So as you can see, in comparison to other addictive substances the percent that actually become addicted is quite small. In addition, if you were addicted to the substance, then it would be really quite easy to kick the habit, far more easy then it would be to kick a heroin addiction, or even a tobacco addiction.

However, when it comes to marijuana addiction, as I said earlier it is all about your mental state more than anything else. Dependency, allot of people use marijuana medically, most use it to relieve stress and it is very affective at doing just  that. You work a high stress job, you come home every day to do chores and take care of your kids. At the end of the night you light up a bowl and relax, you do it every night. Are you addicted? This is where it gets sticky, If you smoke every day then you simply have to be okay with being sober. If your not, your addicted. Those who smoke daily to relieve stress, or just for fun have a dependency on the substance, and are not necessarily addicted.
In conclusion, if you use the substance to medicate or if you use it for fun, whether or not your dependency is an addiction is completely up to you. Marijuana addiction isn’t real in the same way that tobacco or heroin is, but it can still be problematic.