
If Marijuana Is Legal, Will Addiction Rise? - mshafrir
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/if-marijuana-is-legal-will-addiction-rise/
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noodle
the substance itself is not physically addictive. it can be considered
mentally addictive, but so can the internet and world of warcraft, so thats
not a very good argument against it.

the only way the "product" will become more addictive is if, as it was
suggested, big companies dive into it and insert more addictive things beyond
simply the original substance.

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dmm
What is the difference between physical and mental addiction?

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warfangle
Physical dependence results in withdrawal symptoms that are physical:
headaches with caffeine, shakes (and much, much worse) with alcohol.

Mental/emotional dependence results in withdrawal symptoms like depression and
anxiety.

One could argue that mental/emotional withdrawal is just as physical (as it
results from imbalances in neurotransmitters) as physical withdrawal.

One could also argue that the only serious withdrawal symptoms out there are
from alcohol - arguably one of the only drugs whose withdrawal symptoms you
can die from.

~~~
biohacker42
_One could also argue that the only serious withdrawal symptoms out there are
from alcohol - arguably one of the only drugs whose withdrawal symptoms you
can die from._

Citation?

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warfangle
I was a little off - sedative-hyptnotics like benzos and barbiturates can also
kill you through withdrawal.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delirium_tremens>

"Withdrawal from sedative-hypnotics other than alcohol, such as
benzodiazepines or barbiturates can also result in seizures, delirium tremens
and death if not properly managed. Withdrawal from other drugs which are not
sedative-hypnotics such as opiods, marijuana, cocaine etc do not have major
medical complications and withdrawal is therefore not life threatening."

Galanter, Marc; Kleber, Herbert D. (1 July 2008). The American Psychiatric
Publishing Textbook of Substance Abuse Treatment (4th ed.). United States of
America: American Psychiatric Publishing Inc. p. 58. ISBN 978-1585622764.
<http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6wdJgejlQzYC>.

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mildavw
"Legalization advocates note that pot addiction is not nearly as destructive
as, say, abuse of alcohol."

Interesting that the word "addiction" isn't used with alcohol, which _is_
physically addictive, but is used with pot, which isn't physically addictive.
Seems like a better writer would've gone with the simple and straightforward
"... as destructive as alcoholism." Adding the "say," in there, and using the
more detached "abuse of alcohol", seems like an intentional weighting of the
comparison.

~~~
kingkongrevenge
Physical addiction of all narcotics is way overblown. The inability of
"dependent" users to stop using drugs, including alcohol, is way less about
physiological issues than it is simple habit.

Contrary to what they show in the movies, alcoholics and smack heads do not
writhe around and wail when locked up away from their fix.

~~~
warfangle
Perhaps not, but serious alcoholics can die from withdrawal:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_withdrawal_syndrome>

(siezures, delerium tremens, and excito-neurotoxicity)

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siculars
The Economist has been all over this for many years. A few months ago they had
another issue devoted to the subject. Try this search for marijuana from their
site:

[http://www.economist.com/search/search.cfm?google_rv=2&c...](http://www.economist.com/search/search.cfm?google_rv=2&cx=001087441947416295956%3Al-
gk8r9zm4i&cof=FORID%3A9&qr=marijuana&area=1&keywords=1&frommonth=01&fromyear=1997&tomonth=07&toyear=2009&rv=2)

There are many articles to wade through covering everything from addiction to
crime to the economics of legalization. In all they are pro legalization, as
am I. So what if addiction needles up? On balance, the pros outweighs the cons
imho. We already have an issue in this country with addiction to controlled
substances, why not add marijuana to the list and deal with it within the same
framework as we do other addictions?

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mbenjaminsmith
It depends whether or not Big Tobacco takes it on as a cash crop. I'm sure you
could make marijuana addictive with enough additives and advertising.

I've met a lot of messed up people, the vast majority were primarily addicted
to alcohol. All of them smoked pot on occasion. None of them had anything
resembling a 'pot addiction.'

~~~
biohacker42
I think cash is involved, but I'm thinking more along the lines of sales tax
and state budgets. I don't think the tobacco lobby is quite as strong as it
used to be. The FDA just got the right to regulate the nicotine content. And
I'm not sure the tobacco lobby was ever quite as powerful as you seem to think
it is today.

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TallGuyShort
One thing that I think isn't regularly considered is the 'hemp' side of the
issue. Hemp is an incredibly useful material, and if it was more widely
available, it could really benefit society. I saw an article a while ago about
how good it would be when used in construction, but that it probably won't
happen because of how hard it is to obtain hemp.

So aside from the medicinal, economic and social factors, the industrial
sector could be benefitted greatly by increased hemp availability.

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tokenadult
How easy is it to give up marijuana forever, having once smoked it regularly?

~~~
snprbob86
I have a close friend who fucked up his first year of college royally by
becoming a habitual pot user. After the realization that he was actually going
to get kicked out of school for academic probation, he quit cold turkey.
Multiple tokes daily to zero, overnight. He turned his grades around and
graduated with distinction.

After he graduated, three years later, he started smoking again. He says he
only smokes once or twice a month and even then only on weekends. I honestly
believe him when he says he just enjoys it and feels no real addiction. It
seems no different than how I am with alcohol: mmmm beer.

That's just one anecdote. I don't know if that is common at all.

~~~
jrockway
It's the same as anything. I got bad grades in college for spending my time
contributing to open source projects. Probably more useful than getting high
all the time... but just because something can be misused or overdone doesn't
mean it should be a crime to use.

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Confusion
If the countries where marijuana is legalized (or at least decriminalized) are
any indication, then no, addiction will not rise. The main examples are the
Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

~~~
jamesbritt
FTFA:

"What if marijuana is legalized? No one can say for certain. Using one
country’s reform example to estimate what would happen in another is very
risky. How countries differ (cultural, social, political, economic) makes a
big difference."

"However, the Dutch “coffee shops” example might give us a little insight. The
de facto legalization policy in the Netherlands did not, in itself, affect
rates of marijuana use among adults or young people. But rates of use among
young people increased when the number of coffee shops increased and the age
of legal access was 16. Then these rates declined when the numbers of coffee
shops was reduced and the age of legal access became 18."

Interesting that no mention of addiction stats are given, just usage.

