Researchers estimated that 4 million people in the United States met the criteria for marijuana use disorder in 2015. Among Florida youth aged 12–17, the annual average percentage of past-month marijuana use remained stable between 2002–2004 and 2017–2019. Common street names for marijuana include dope, pot, grass, weed, head, Mary Jane, doobie, bud, ganja, hashish, hash, and bhang, among others, with names varying by region and potency. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), an estimated 200 million people worldwide used marijuana in 2020, making it the most widely consumed illicit drug.

What Is Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD)?

1 Studies have demonstrated tolerance to cannabis, most likely secondary to physiologic changes in the function of cannabinoid receptors. Over time, the American Psychiatric Association, the group responsible for the DSM, changed its definition of addiction, describing “substance use disorder,” emphasizing the behavioral rather than physiologic signs and symptoms. While marijuana addiction is often less physically severe than addiction to some other substances, it can have significant impacts on a person’s life, and treatment can improve quality of life, reduce cravings, and support long-term recovery. If a dependent person stops using marijuana, they may experience withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, sleep difficulties, decreased appetite, and mood swings.

• There are no FDA-approved medications to treat marijuana use disorder specifically, but medications can help address accompanying issues like insomnia or co-occurring mental health disorders like depression or anxiety.
• In total, 62 million Americans—about 20% of the U.S. population aged 12 and older—reported using marijuana at least once in the past year, underscoring its increasing prevalence.
• What they have scientifically is a pleasure system that’s about 20 percent below normal.
• It is now legal for recreational and medical use in many U.S. states.
• While marijuana is often perceived as less harmful than other substances, its potential to lead to addiction, particularly with regular or heavy use, is a reality that cannot be ignored.

Tools and Practice Support

Additionally, nine states permit “limited-access medical cannabis,” allowing only low-THC cannabis or CBD oil. Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, and American Samoa have not legalized medical marijuana or low-THC cannabis, as reported by the Congressional Research Service (2024). As of recent data, approximately 18% of Americans report using marijuana, with a Yahoo News/Marist national survey further revealing that around 35 million Americans consume marijuana every month. New research analyzing data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, published in the journal Addiction, examines trends in cannabis and alcohol consumption in the United States over the past 40 years. In 2022, an estimated 17.7 million people reported using marijuana daily or nearly every day, a sharp uptick from fewer than 1 million in 1992. Medicinal users consume marijuana to is marijuana addictive manage chronic pain, nausea, epilepsy, and other medical conditions, certainly when conventional treatments prove ineffective.

The Debate Around Marijuana Addiction #

As a result, users develop a tolerance, needing more cannabis to achieve previous effects. This increased consumption can escalate to dependence, marked by withdrawal symptoms like irritability, anxiety, and sleep issues when cannabis use is reduced or stopped. Marijuana addiction, also known as cannabis use disorder, occurs when an individual becomes dependent on marijuana, experiencing cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and difficulty controlling their use despite negative consequences.

How does marijuana affect the brain? #

• Medicinal marijuana is used to treat and manage a variety of medical concerns, including physical and mental health challenges.
• Like any drug used medicinally, the potential risks of use are weighed against the potential benefits when deciding what should and should not be tried.
• Withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, irritability, insomnia, appetite loss, and physical discomforts such as headaches and stomach pains.
• Over time, regular use can alter brain function and lead to addiction.
• THC bypasses this system, just like someone slipping past a bouncer at a club.

Studies of identical twins raised in different families support this theory. They have higher rates of an addiction co-occurring, which means that if one of them develops an addiction, the other is at greater risk for developing one, than fraternal twins raised apart. Established in 1947 by AAA, the Foundation for Traffic Safety is a nonprofit, publicly funded 501(c)(3) charitable research and educational organization. The AAA Foundation’s mission is to prevent traffic deaths and injuries by researching their causes and by educating the public about strategies to prevent crashes and reduce injuries when they do occur.

• If you recently used or regularly use marijuana, your stomach may take longer to empty.
• And when you can face life, as it is, fully present, there is nothing addiction can offer that you don’t already have.
• Increased extracellular glutamate levels activate inhibitory metabotropic glutamate receptors, reducing glutamate neurotransmission (Samuni et al. 2013).
• Frequent high-dose use redounds to cannabis addiction, effectuating dependence, and withdrawal symptoms.
• Marijuana addiction impairs relationships through various mechanisms, leading to emotional, financial, and social strains.

• “It has long been acknowledged that cannabis is a mood-altering substance with some potential for risk, including the risk of dependence.
• In addition to its role in HPA axis dysfunction and reward processing, the hyperactivation of the eCS may also play a role in the executive dysfunction sometimes observed in cannabis use.
• The endocannabinoid system is involved in maintaining homeostasis, influencing mood, appetite, pain, and immune function.
• About 1 in 10 people who use marijuana get addicted or have cannabis use disorder.

Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound, alters perception, mood, and cognition by interacting with cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) in the brain. At high doses, marijuana effectuates hallucinogenic effects, comprising distorted sensory perception, paranoia, and dissociation. Marijuana’s hallucinogenic capacity is milder in comparison to classic hallucinogen addictions like LSD or psilocybin. ORLANDO, Fla. (Mar. 12, 2025) – Cannabis is the third most commonly used substance in the United States, following nicotine and alcohol. This trend is not surprising, considering that some form of cannabis consumption is legal in 38 states—24 states allow recreational use, while 14 states permit medical use only. With the rise in cannabis use, this form of impaired driving has become more common, leading to a heightened risk of crashes, injuries, and fatalities.

Daniel Timilehin