Does Cannabis Addiction Exist?

Cannabis, like most drugs, is something people can become addicted to and it shares some of its action with other drugs and activities that can be addictive. Addiction is more likely when someone isn’t fulfilled in their life, has mental disorders, or has gone through traumatic experiences.

Since a psychological dependence on cannabis rarely results in severe short-term consequences, there may be a comparatively small desire to change one’s use.

On the physical dependence side of the topic (which isn’t actually addiction), cannabis does produce tolerance and withdrawal. The withdrawal isn’t as severe as what’s seen with heroin, for example, nor is it physically dangerous. Nevertheless, withdrawal usually does exist for 1-2 weeks when a heavy user stops taking the drug.

References

(2013) Trajectory of Adolescent Cannabis Use on Addiction Vulnerability

(2012) State of the art treatments for cannabis dependence.

(2011) Dronabinol for the treatment of cannabis dependence: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

(2011) Neurochemical basis of cannabis addiction.

(2009) The adverse health effects of cannabis use: what are they, and what are their implications for policy?

(2009) The endocannabinoid system as a target for the treatment of cannabis dependence.

(2009) Pharmacotherapy for Cannabis Dependence: How Close Are We?

(2008) Neurobiology of cannabis addiction.

(2008) Cannabis withdrawal is common among treatment-seeking adolescents with cannabis dependence and major depression, and is associated with rapid relapse to dependence.

(2008) The natural course of cannabis use, abuse and dependence during the first decades of life.

(2007) Oral delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol suppresses cannabis withdrawal symptoms.

(2007) Negative consequences associated with dependence in daily cannabis users

(2006) The cannabis withdrawal syndrome.

(2004) Review of the validity and significance of cannabis withdrawal syndrome.

(2004) Cannabis withdrawal in adolescent treatment seekers

(2003) Cannabis dependence and psychotic symptoms in young people.

(2003) Neuromorphological background of cannabis addiction.

(2003) Early reactions to cannabis predict later dependence.

(2001) Psychiatric effects of cannabis.

(1998) Cannabis use, abuse, and dependence in a population-based sample of female twins.