Medical Marijuana--

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Oh, and for those who claim that pot is not addicting, you are wrong. I know plenty of people who were addicted to pot. The physical effects of addiction my be different than those of alcohol or heroin (especially the withdrawal) but the addiction still exists.

This is true, but there is a difference between direct addiction (i.e., a physical addiction to a particular substance) and an indirect addiction (addiction to a secondary effect of the substance or action, not the substance itself). Marijuana addiction falls more in line with the latter, which would also include things like gambling addiction or sex addiction or other behavioral addictions. It's not the act itself, but the feelings associated with it and/or the production of certain brain chemistry.

That's not to diminish the seriousness of any of those addictions. Addiction is addiction and can be devastating no matter what. And in some ways, the latter is MORE problematic since it's less likely to be tied to a particular substance or act but rather be indicative of an addiction-prone person. If what you're addicted to is the endorphine rush you get from gambling, then breaking the addiction isn't as simple as "stop gambling" because you may just find something equally destructive to replace that with.

But while academic distinctions on the exact nature of an addiction don't particularly console an individual and those they affect, when you're talking about larger effects and policy-making, it does matter. It matters that as a populace, we are significantly more likely to become addicted to heroin, cocaine, alcohol, etc. than marijuana. When you're talking about determining societal risk, as well as planning resources for how to address addiction problems, it's important to understand those differences and account for them. It's important to know that you're going to need a lot more methadone clinics than marijuana addiction counselors.