Last updated : December 23, 2024
Medical marijuana is now legal in 23 states and the District of Columbia, with more likely to follow. There’s no need to confuse marijuana’s potential for addiction with advocacy claims of the medical applications. Marijuana is either addictive or it’s not. Research has proven that it is possible to become addicted and the purpose of use—recreational or medical—does not matter.
Marijuana as a medication
Once the staple of ‘60s hippie life, finding a legal use for marijuana has led to numerous studies on medical applications. With over 400 active compounds including the potent cannabinoids, it appears to be effective in improving appetite and reducing nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy, reducing seizures and relieving anxiety and depression.
Although the US federal government has yet to approve marijuana use in any form, it has approved two medications derived from cannabinoids, and state laws regulating marijuana have been relaxed in those 23 states to allow for the controlled sale of various strains of marijuana, including those that claim to offer the medical benefits without the high that comes from THC.
It can be addictive
Public debate over the dangers of marijuana use has only grown over the decades. Advocates of decriminalizing pot claim that it offers a “harmless” high that’s far removed from the risks of “hard” drugs and alcohol – and that it’s impossible to get addicted. Critics call it a “gateway” drug that introduces the brain and the body to the pleasurable effects of substances like narcotics and alcohol, leads to using more of the drug, “test driving” others, and prolonged use isn’t just a lifestyle, but evidence of addiction.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse makes it clear—marijuana has the potential to become addictive, even if not every user becomes an addict.
The most generous estimates for advocates indicates at least 9 percent of users are likely to become addicted, but keeping that number in single digits has large political implications. The estimated number rises sharply among those who started using it in their teens or who use it every day. For that reason, substance abuse centers do offer programs for people struggling with addictions to marijuana alone, not high profile street drugs such as heroin.
Prescription drugs, taken for legitimate medical reasons, can become addictive. Painkillers, stimulants, and mood altering drugs prescribed for depression and anxiety can create severe addictions that require treatment. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, over 2 million Americans annually use prescription drugs non-medically. That number doesn’t include users of medical marijuana, but substance abuse specialists see the potential for the same patterns of risk.
Adding to the potential for abuse is the widespread use of prescribed drugs by people who don’t actually have a medical need. These substances reach a pool of users who seek them out for recreational use—and the same is true for medical marijuana. Though medical pot dispensaries require a medical card to dispense any of their various strains to buyers, cards can be easily obtained—often written without much documentation or demonstrative medical need. As the pool of legal users grow, cardholders are not easily caught if trying to distribute or resell their “prescription pot” to someone else.
As research continues and increases on the medical applications of marijuana, this once completely illegal drug has now joined the ranks of prescription medications in some areas of the country. Just as users of other medications can become addicted, so can users of medical marijuana.
