As marijuana and cannabis use becomes more accepted by the mainstream, it is important to note that there are still risks associated with the drug. Smoking it, for example, can still cause damage to the lungs and, as recent research is showing, there are certain addiction concerns tied back to people who use.
According to data revealed on TheFix.com, roughly 30 percent of people who use cannabis become dependent on it. That is a stat that is on the rise and one that has also been called out by the government website, drugabuse.gov.
Language on that particular site defines the dependency (or “cannabis use disorder”) as “People who use marijuana frequently often report irritability, mood and sleep difficulties, decreased appetite, cravings, restlessness, and/or various forms of physical discomfort that peak within the first week after quitting and last up to 2 weeks. Marijuana dependence occurs when the brain adapts to large amounts of the drug by reducing production of and sensitivity to its own endocannabinoid neurotransmitters.”
There is also a callout to the potency of the modern marijuana strains that are now legally available. It has been revealed that the average THC content has jumped from 3.8 percent in the early 1990’s to as much as 12 percent over the past five years.
Also, as you would expect, more availability means more access to teens. In fact, usage rose almost 3 percent for children aged 12 to 17 over the past decade. Frequent usage among those 26 or older is now at 2.62 percent and the addiction tendencies have shot up from 0.90 percent to 1.23 percent throughout the 2010’s.
And, as we mentioned before, addiction risks can also lead to car crashes and DUIs, as well as lung disorders. It’s all worth addressing, in our opinion, especially as more shops and advertisements pop up enticing people to use
Currently, cannabis is legal for medical purposes in 33 states and most U.S. territories. It is also cleared for recreational use in 11 states (including our home turf of California).
If anything, we advise the people reading this to evaluate the frequency of cannabis usage both for yourself and for those close to you. The dependencies are very real and, if you sense there is a problem, it is important to seek out help.
