When people think of addictive drugs, marijuana doesn’t usually come to mind. That’s because most of them think of weed as a non-addictive substance. However, experts still question is marijuana addictive. According to research, cannabis dependence is a real disorder.
Is Marijuana Addictive?
The short answer is yes, weed is addictive. However, it’s not addictive in the same sense that heroin and cocaine are addictive. Instead, marijuana causes psychological dependency. For that reason, scientists refer to weed addiction as cannabis dependence disorder.
How Common Is Weed Addiction?
Learning more about is marijuana addictive, how often do people develop an addiction? In reality, the addiction rate to weed is much lower than in other drugs. Most research suggests that cannabis dependence disorder affects about one in every ten users.
While this number is still kind of high, it’s not as high as other addictive drugs. For example, the addiction rate for people who use heroin is close to 100 percent. With that said, there’s still a pretty big demand for weed addiction therapy services.
When Do Doctors Diagnose Cannabis Use Disorder?
Since cannabis isn’t physically addictive, how do doctors diagnose people with cannabis use disorder? In general, they determine if the users continue to smoke weed despite mild to severe adverse consequences.
For instance, let’s say that people are on parole or have jobs that require them to take drug tests. Despite this roadblock, they continue to use weed knowing that they could go to jail or lose their jobs. Doctors might diagnosis them in these situations as having cannabis use disorder.
What Are Some Signs of Cannabis Addiction?
Merely knowing about is marijuana addictive doesn’t help people recognize if loved ones suffer from addiction. Thankfully, they can look for signs of misuse, including:
- Using a significant amount of weed over long periods of time
- Spending too much time thinking or trying to get weed
- Letting weed use affect personal relationships
- Losing a job or getting kicked out of school as a result of weed use
- Having a strong desire or craving to use weed
- Being unable to cut back on weed use
We Can Help You Overcome Weed Addiction
At Steps to Recovery, we pride ourselves in helping people overcome addiction to drugs such as weed. In fact, our Pennsylvania addiction recovery services put the needs of our clients first. We create individual care plans for each person using programs and services such as:
- Partial hospitalization program
- Intensive outpatient rehab
- Family therapy
- Group and individual counseling
- Trauma therapy
Don’t let the myth about weed fool you into thinking that it’s not addictive. Learn more about is marijuana addictive at our facility. Reach out to us today at 866-488-8684 for more information.
