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Marijuana

Not everyone who uses marijuana becomes addicted. When a user begins to seek out and take the drug compulsively, that person is said to be dependent on the drug or "addicted" to it. In 1995, 165,000 people entering drug treatment programs reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse, showing they needed help to stop using.

Some heavy marijuana users show signs of dependence because when they do not use the drug, they develop withdrawal symptoms. Some subjects in an experiment on marijuana withdrawal had symptoms such as restlessness, loss of appetite, trouble with sleeping, weight loss, and shaky hands.

According to one study, marijuana use by teenagers who have prior serious antisocial problems can quickly lead to dependence on the drug. That study also found that troubled teenagers using tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana, progressed from their first use of marijuana to regular use about as rapid as their progression to regular tobacco use. It was even more rapid than the progression to regular use of alcohol.

Addictive Potential

A drug is addicting if it causes compulsive and often uncontrollable drug craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences. Marijuana meets this criteria. More than 120,000 people seek treatment each year for their primary marijuana addiction. In addition, animal studies suggest marijuana causes physical dependence and some people report withdrawal symptoms.

What is "tolerance" for marijuana?

"Tolerance" means that the user needs increasingly larger doses of the drug to get the same desired results that he or she previously got from smaller amounts. Some frequent, heavy users of marijuana may develop a tolerance for it.

Do marijuana users lose their motivation?
Some frequent, long-term marijuana users show signs of a lack of motivation (amotivational syndrome). Their problems include not caring about what happens in their lives, no desire to work regularly, fatigue, and a lack of concern about how they look. As a result of these symptoms, some users tend to perform poorly in school or at work. Scientists are still studying these issues.

Does using marijuana lead to other drugs?
Long-term studies of high school students and their patterns of drug use show that very few young people use other drugs without first trying marijuana. The risk of using cocaine has been estimated to be more than 104 times greater for those who have tried marijuana than for those who have never tried it. Although there are no definitive studies on the factors associated with the movement from marijuana use to use of other drugs, growing evidence shows that a combination of biological, social, and psychological factors are involved.

Marijuana affects the brain in some of the same ways that other drugs do. Researchers are examining the possibility that long-term marijuana use may create changes in the brain that make a person more at risk of becoming addicted to other drugs, such as alcohol or cocaine. While not all young people who use marijuana go on to use other drugs, further research is needed to determine who will be at greatest risk.