Drug addiction is a serious issue that should never be taken lightly. Alcohol abuse and prescription drug abuse are taken very seriously by most everybody, as well as most illegal drug abuse, but there is one illegal drug that many people consider to be completely harmless. Many people have a cannabis addiction caused by long term marijuana use, but think that marijuana is not addictive.

The question of “is marijuana addictive?” is a tricky one with no easy answers, but there are several facts of the matter that should lead one to be concerned about cannabis addiction if they or a loved one smoke marijuana regularly.

Considering that marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States, it is probably not surprising that about six thousand Americans use marijuana for the first time every day. While most people try marijuana experimentally, and mostly likely will not have to deal with a cannabis addiction, regular users of the drug should probably be more worried about cannabis addiction than they are. Long term marijuana use can, indeed, lead to addiction, to the point that it interferes with many aspects of a user’s life, and they are unable to control their use.

Like all drugs on which one can become dependent, there are marijuana withdrawal symptom as well. In fact, a study conducted by Duke University found that 95.5 percent of marijuana smokers who tried to quit experienced at least one withdrawal symptom, while 43.1 percent experienced more than one marijuana withdrawal symptom. Cannabis addiction and lead to cannabis withdrawal symptoms such as depression and sleep disturbance. A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry followed 1,920 people over sixteen years, and found that those who smoked marijuana were four times more likely to develop depression. Additionally, it is estimated that 46.9 percent of former marijuana smokers have problems sleeping. These are not normal sleep disruption problems such as insomnia, but include things such as vivid, disturbing dreams and nightmares that disrupt sleep.

Cannabis addiction can be a real problem for many people who are long term users of marijuana. Luckily, for those struggling with cannabis addiction and marijuana withdrawal symptoms, there are cannabis addiction treatments. Medication and counseling can help those who are trying to quit overcome withdrawal symptoms.

It is important for marijuana users to realize that it is absolutely possible to become addicted to cannabis, and that there are ways to ease the transition if they choose to quit. If you or a loved one is suffering from cannabis addiction, find help and overcome your substance dependence. References.