Many people think that marijuana is not addictive because they know people who have used it for a long time who don’t seem to experience withdrawal when they stop using. This makes sense because many people only think of more extreme withdrawal the way it has been depicted in movies or the media.
Yet studies show:
- The intensity of withdrawal symptoms varies across drugs and will also depend on how progressed the addiction is.
- Marijuana stays in the body longer creating a kind of “weaning” effect which minimizes some withdrawal symptoms.
- 1 out of every 10 marijuana users will become addicted; a rate similar to alcohol. When use begins in adolescence, the rate is 1 in 6, a rate matching that of cocaine.