Is there a comparable experience between that of being addicted to marijuana and other types of drug addiction? This question is a good one. Before we answer it, let’s point out a few interesting biases hidden inside the question itself.
First of all, most of the time when this question is presented, you can see that we’re making a mental map of what’s considered a “real” drug and what’s considered a “real” addiction, versus something that we would consider more of a “marijuana habit”. For example, no one doubts that people get addicted to the caffeine in coffee, but few would consider this a drug, and even fewer would ever think of caffeine when they hear the term “drug addiction.” The same is true when it comes to cigarettes and even alchohol to an extent, despite how visible the damage these substances cause their victims.
So what do we usually mean when throwing around the phrase “drug addiction“? Most of the time this phrase is linked to the extreme end of what it means to be addict; junkies, meth heads with missing teeth, rich executives snorting cocaine constantly. As you can see, it’s hard to imagine someone who habitually smokes marijuana coming to mind in juxtaposition with these other thoughts.
But should it be?
In my opinion, not really. Being addicted to marijuana is more on par with something like caffeine addiction or smoking cigarettes. Cessation of the substance leads to insomnia and a withdrawal experience that leaves the person sober yet very cranky and easily annoyed. Withdrawal from marijuana is not akin to withdrawal from harder drugs. The same cannot be said for abused substances, such as abusing painkillers, alcohol, or hard drugs like speed and methamphetamines.
So is regularly smoking marijuana a habit or addiction? To answer the original question posed at the beginning of this post: the experience of marijuana addiction is not comparable to what is usually meant when we use the term “drug addiction.” It’s more on par with the problems associated with addiction to substances that many of us use daily, such as caffeine and alcohol, and far from the addict experience of harder drugs, like coke or heroin.
