Cannabis Use Disorder ‘Common’ Among Marijuana Users, Study Finds - The New York Times
Cleveland Circle Community
On 11/2/23, 8:20 AM, "Eva Webster" <cleveland-cir...@googlegroups.com on behalf of evawe...@comcast.net> wrote:
Back in August, there was an article in the NYTimes that discussed the Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD). It noted, based on research, that this condition is more common now than it used to be. Farther down, I posted some comments to that article the reflect my feelings on this subject.
To be clear, I am not in favor of criminalizing cannabis use. I think that adults should be free to use it if they want to (and especially when it comes to legitimate medicinal use). But I think that legalizing marijuana use should have come with a set of thoughtful, public-health-oriented regulations that would make it harder for the marijuana industry to grow big and hook more and more people.
Our elected officials on Beacon Hill should not have gotten all ga-ga over cannabis legalization being a revenue-booster. That approach paved the road for policies that roll out the red carpet for marijuana establishments in communities where they are not wanted or needed, just because the local government salivates for $$$$.
Marijuana use should be legal but not common (especially smoking). We don’t have policies that ensure that. We have policies that ensure the opposite of “not common”.
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Mom
NYCAug. 29
I smoked pot in college and as a young adult, and it was fun. I have never opposed legalization. So when my teenage son started smoking pot 35 years later, I thought, no big deal. I was very wrong.
Young people can get pot any time anywhere in New York City, at bodegas and smoke shops, and by texting drug couriers who write their numbers in graffiti around the city. The pot is immensely stronger than what I used to smoke. At the point my son quit, he had progressed to smoking an eighth a day. Ridiculous, I know, but he isn't the only one. He has many friends who still smoke that much. Some started smoking as young as twelve.
Watching him vomit every morning before going to school was awful. Weed that strong can have a severe impact on digestion. Withdrawing was the hardest thing he ever did, and the hardest thing I've ever witnessed. Rage. Sweating. Deep, terrifying depression. Without weed, he couldn't sleep or eat. (He got some short-term medication to help -- and he was lucky that we had the resources for that.) It took eleven full days before he was stable enough that I felt comfortable leaving him alone for an hour. Eleven days is a very long time to suffer so severely. Two months later he is better but not fully recovered. Weed withdrawal is real, and kids are vulnerable. Adults can and should smoke pot as they please. The experience of intelligent, judicious, adult smokers is one thing. The experience of children is another thing entirely.
Anne
SeattleAug. 30
@Mom Yes, my son is also addicted. The pot that we smoked as teens is basically oregano compared to what they can buy today on every corner of every street. It is heartbreaking to watch my son struggle with friends, work, school, etc...It is debiltating.
Michel Werner
ParisAug. 30
My son suffered from psychiatric problem which have become chronic. I think they were enhanced by the use of cannabis. This article reinforces me in the idea that cannabis is dangerous and shouldn't be seen as benign.
Judi
North CarolinaAug. 29
@Anon There are countless families who’ve had experiences similar to yours. As a country we’ve gotten excited about opioids and other drugs - rightfully so. Now we’re a country full of users combing alcohol and weed - and driving.
Ken Fitzgerald
Coronado, CAAug. 29
Pot makes you stupid. And many continue using it despite knowing how their short-term memory and ability to concentrate is being destroyed by it. I know college students who have had to drop out of school because of the hold it has on them.
Anon
ChicagolandAug. 29
GenXer here, I've watched an adult family member lose everything over the past decade, because they won't stop using pot. For my relative, legalizing pot has merely served to remove a speed bump to Destination Down the Drain. Legalizing weed is maybe the only way to stop sending people of color to jail for something that's been considered a rite of passage for white people, like my relative. But I'm sad to think that more people will derail themselves, or harm people while under the influence. I don't wish our family's experience with this "harmless" drug on anyone.
J Richl
VancouverAug. 29
Despite having been an advocate for its decriminalization, from both a freedom and a justice perspective, I would have to agree that this disorder exists as a problem for a percentage of users.
I had the personal experience of travelling overseas on a combined business and vacay trip recently with someone whose personality seemed significantly affected by the use of cannabis, which was readily available at our destination. Plans that had been made and looked forward to by both of us seemed to fall by the wayside in favor of him staying put in the cafes where the weed was. Much time was spent planning, not what to do next in an exciting town filled with culture and art, but how to secure a constant supply after-hours (the shops were only open from 9am to 1am the following morning...).
My suggestions that the cafes were best left for the evenings were met with emotional outbursts. The party in question had an arsenal of narratives to explain why cannabis needed to be consumed constantly -- "It's a painkiller for my back", "I'm on holidays" etc. I soon had a mental picture in my head of having to drag my compadre along behind me, to every destination that did not serve cannabis, like an anchor with the chain wrapped around my neck.
It is only anecdotal, but I would have to throw in with the idea that, like any intoxicating substance, the potential exists for overuse and habituation. Unfortunately it affected our business and personal relationship going forward.
Anonymous
USAAug. 29
Wish more people would eat the edibles and stop reeking up the streets with the smell. To each his own vice but i shouldn't have to smell it everywhere.
RRG
Brooklyn, N.Y.Aug. 29
In most American cities, drinking in public is illegal, and common experience teaches that, even though the offense typically subjects the offender simply to being ticketed, the prohibition does have a deterrent effect. More and more states and localities in the United States are legalizing the personal use of marijuana, classified as a Schedule I drug under federal law because it is so addictive, without likewise prohibiting its use in public. Gee, what could go wrong?
Diana B.
Long Island, NYAug. 30
@Michael B I am so sorry for your troubles with marijuana. Anyone who thinks that it is harmless is just not seeing the facts. I was one of the lucky ones who tried it as a teenager and hated it from the get-go. Instead of calming me, it caused me great anxiety and distress. The only reason it's legal now is financial--the government and companies can make money from it, so they don't give a hoot about who will be harmed by it.
Joe
United ststesmAug. 30
If the state and city governments are getting money from the legal sale of marijuana, why are my property taxes still going up so fast?
whitebuffalo
SE PAAug. 30
@TB420 Well, I hate the smell of pot and do not think people should have the right to pollute the outdoor or indoor air in public spaces. Was so glad when cigarette smoke started to go down and now it is replaced by something far worse that can impact my brain against my will in the bargain. I guess a side effect of pot is losing all consideration for anyone within smelling distance.
Io Lightning
CAAug. 29
@Richard I've met many people in my lifetime whose ability to meaningfully connect is severely curtailed by pot use. I now only date people who keep their substance use (pot and/or alcohol) to once or twice a week at most. Daily dependency is a clear sign that someone is emotionally avoiding life. It's really sad how many comments here are minimizing this, possibly out of denial.
TheMadDragon
AustraliaAug. 30
Withdrawal from heavy cannabis use can cause symptoms such as excessive sweating, headaches, loss of appetite and nausea, vivid and disturbing dreams, and difficulty falling asleep. I used cannabis heavily for almost a decade and stopping was not a pleasant experience. I acknowledge that those symptoms are nowhere near as dangerous as those from benzo or alcohol withdrawal (no chance of death), and will pass relatively quickly, but the classic 'it's not physically addictive' line is an oversimplification. The social discourse around cannabis is overly positive when it can definitely be detrimental. I use cannabis medicinally now and thank the earth for it, but man do I wish I was better informed when I was younger and first getting into smoking.
Herr Meister
TexasAug. 30
I love weed, I’m a longtime user, I’m objectively quite successful and hold multiple degrees, and yes weed use has negatively affected me and regulating my use or quitting has been extremely difficult. I am an addict. What I see in these comments are fellow addicts (whether they realize it yet or not) that don’t want anyone questioning their drug of choice. I’d rather not be dependent on any substance, but the rationale that smoking weed meant I was doing less of more harmful things like consuming alcohol definitely contributed to my becoming addicted.
GPT
Brooklyn, NYAug. 30
@Mom Finally someone on here with actual contemporary perspective rather than a bunch of Boomers/GenXers defensive about any criticism of their precious pastime. Today’s weed is far stronger and more addictive than what we all grew up smoking. There’s an increased risk for severe anxiety, violent behavior and even schizophrenia, especially in young men. And teens can get it anywhere, including in some unlicensed dispensaries, which are their own rampant problem in this city as easy targets for armed robberies. No one is going to take away pot from the average privileged NYT reader. But they might want to get out of their bubbles and talk to family members, educators, and healthcare workers about what lax access is doing to young people, especially young men in areas with fewer opportunities to begin with. And no, I don’t believe in recriminalizing it, just common-sense control. And yes, I do believe the world owes young people better opportunities, but that’s a topic for another day.
Howard
NLAug. 29
Is alcohol a substance that can cause addiction and, with overuse, many physical disorders? Yes. Is marijuana harmless? No. Can we please stop pretending that there's no risk? the old stereotypes of "the stoner" were not pulled out of someone's fantasy...
Bo
calgary, albertaAug. 29
Once legalized it seems the name of the game is repeat customers and so the industry will work to make the product stronger and severely addictive in a way it just wasn't before.
David
San JoseAug. 29
That fact that 1 in 5 have a Cannabis use disorder means 4 in 5 don't. I would suspect this result correlates closely to the percentage of the population that has some predisposition to addiction. Personally, I don't use cannabis, in any capacity, and prefer a clear mind. Others are free to make their own choices with or without any negative consequences. Articles, like this, help educate people to make their own choices.
In the Foothills
Seattle areaAug. 29
@Glenn - And alcohol is safer than strychnine. The fact that one drug is safer than another doesn't make it safe. "Safer than alcohol" is a very low bar.
Eric S
Vancouver WAAug. 29
It really isn't my place to decide for other people, whether they should have access to marijuana as adults. As an older person, I value my memory, my ability to concentrate and engage in sensible conversation. Some of my peers can't do that anymore. A person ought to think about what they hope to achieve in life. Marijuana tends to lower ambition, it apparently helps people to forget, it lends itself to kind of a nowhere life trajectory. This may be acceptable to some people, but they ought to give the matter some thought.
Mike Mead
HawaiiAug. 29
I conducted my own field research on this subject in the 1970s. In the beginning, pot smoking created a mild euphoric state accompanied by the munchies and uncontrollable giggling. After a few years of regular use, smoking the weed gave me heart palpitations along with paranoia and extreme social withdrawal. In my early twenties I abandoned cannabis entirely and moved on to alcohol and cocaine, which led to my ultimate demise. ( 42 years clean and sober now!) Regardless, I'm happy that pot has been decriminalized, but I acknowledge that it is not a good fit for everyone.
Wendy Haugen
Durango COAug. 29
My town has at least ten dispensaries and zero support groups for peeps that want to quit.
Andy
San FranciscoAug. 29
Look — I had my share of pot in high school. Much, much weaker stuff than is out there now. When, prior to the legalization boom, I expressed concern and said enough research hadn’t been done, I was absolutely massacred. It’s a natural herb and therefore less harmful than alcohol is all I heard.
So now that it’s widely available and Americans love it and too many kids use it — here we are, with research showing we are abusing it. Isn’t that practically the definition of America? We overdo everything from exercising to eating to weed. So predictable. Marijuana and developing brains are not a good mix. The lobbying effort for legalization was too good, and as soon as politicians thought there was money to be made, caution was gone. That too is an American trait — money first.
Michael B
Tacoma, WAAug. 29
I Started at 14, in 1975 and I loved it from the start, by the time I was 22 I was an all day everyday smoker and knew I had a problem because I would smoke my friends under the table. By 30 I had a family and knew I needed to quit. So I joined Narcotics Anonymous and even though I got put down a lot for being a pot head, I managed to gain 23 years of sobriety. Then it became legal in Washington state in 2014. It took me only two days. To become an all day every day use her again and it was so much stronger now I would go for a while and then quit, and then relapse again and again and again eventually I found Marijuana Anonymous. But I kept relapsing. My last relapse was the worst. I went into a self abusive psychosis and tried to commit suicide. Thank God my higher power was there, and I went into treatment for 60 days, and it took almost at amount of time for the marijuana to get out of my system because I had been using concentrate When I first started the THC level with 5 to 10% on average the concentrate was 98% and I was smoking it all day every day. Today I have almost 4 years clean and I don’t want to ever go back to that living. Hell that was marijuana. I support legalization decriminalization mostly because I don’t believe people should be punished for it and now it can be studied by the scientific community.
Anne
SeattleAug. 30
@Richard Except those who are not doing fine. There are many teens addicted to pot and failing out of school, jobs, relationships etc. Nonsense for you--not for all.
Aviator
Anaheim, CAAug. 29
Potheads, ugh! The smell, nay stench, is enough to recriminalize. Waking in Manhattan last weekend, it was omnipresent. I think I smelled it once or twice in Zurich last month, but not in Sicily, Paris, London, Ireland or Scotland. What a relief. The people in the USA have so many addictions - Starbucks (a milkshake with a shot of espresso), fast food, junk food, TV and their phones, watching sports, and dope. Where are the normal, well-adjusted Americans? We may be on stock-out. This is truly a land of uninteresting people. Conspiracy theories, kookiness, slovenliness, willful ignorance, drug addicts, and obesity were once curiosities, nowadays, they are an epidemic. Not a good look America.
Ebbe Thacher
BrooklynAug. 29
One in seven alcohol users, it is estimated, are problematic. The one in seven consume, it is estimated, 80-85 percent of alcohol used nationally. Many now use both alcohol AND marijuana. Children being raised in these environments are more likely to develop substance use disorders also. Much of this is actually, many theorize, an attempt at self-medication for depressive and anxiety disorders .
Dirk Addertongue
Atlanta, GaAug. 29
I'm one of those folks who has great difficulty controlling my cannabis use -- I'm either completely abstinent or will quickly become a "wake and bake" kind of guy. And yes, it's a struggle, because I like the effects of small amounts of cannabis, I just have trouble keeping it small. And yes, it has interfered with my life in many ways, for while cannabis won't ever kill you, it can certainly take your life. That said, cannabis is my problem, no one else's. And while I'm sure I haven't lived up to my potential (whatever that is), I've never hurt anyone and I don't see how it's anyone else's business. To put it another way, any harm I've ever seen from cannabis is vanishingly minor compared to the devastation -- to the individuals, their families and their communities -- that comes from criminal prosecution and imprisonment. Why should cannabis be illegal when the punishment is infinitely more harmful than the supposed offense?
SuzyQ
Vancouver IslandAug. 30
@Dirk Addertongue It would be interesting to hear from your family, friends, lovers, co-workers & anyone else you come into contact with to get their opinion of your claim that your over-use hasn't hurt anyone else. It's not my intention to be a finger-wagging scold, but I'm old enough that this wave of cannabis use is deja vu. I spent the first one experimenting until I decided I didn't like it or its effect on me, & then dealing with friends & romantic partners who were too baked most of the time to be interesting anymore. I don't think it should be illegal, but I wish users knew how unmotivated, sluggish & just plain boring they get with regular use. I wish you well & hope you find a happy balance before you wonder where your life went. Because it's short & when it's over, it's too late for regrets.
Christopher E Baldwin
NYCAug. 30
We split time between NYC and Madrid. The Spanish press has articles about how NYC smells like pot everywhere, including at the US Open. “What happened to your city?” one young, worldly Spaniard recently asked…. Heading back to NYC after visiting Madrid (family) for a long stretch — haven’t smelled the skunk stench in over a month. My family loved the fresh air free of passive drug exposure.
Carlyle T.
NYCAug. 30
I still am perplexed after what we have learned about lung cancer and inhaling smoke why we allow weed to be smoked legally ? Any cancer alert studies on legal weed in our delicate and thin lungs?
Rob S
San FranciscoAug. 29
It's an addiction, like any other drug addiction. It needs to be treated as such. I know -- I have 2 close family members who are daily pot users and are seriously impacted in their ability to focus, remember, or act like a competent adult.
Gordon U
Santa Fe NMAug. 29
'Moderation in all things' is not a popular approach to life in our country. Americans always do too much of everything. When did it become normal for college kids to deliberately drink themselves into a coma? Once, vomiting was a signal to quit drinking, now it's a place to begin. Smoking, driving fast and recklessly, overeating, etc etc and especially drug use - it's insane and symptomatic of a society that doesn't offer much in the way of fulfillment, contentment, and happiness.
So, marijuana users take too much? Become psychologically addicted? Dependent on the high? That should come as no surprise to anyone. The real important question people should be asking is 'what is it that is missing in our lives that causes people to become dependent on substances?" Until we begin to pay attention to that, articles like this are simply stating the obvious and there is nothing here that is unexpected.
LKS
USAAug. 30
Do I think cannabis use should be illegal? No -- but after being married to someone who smoked it regularly, I can say firsthand there's not a lot to be gained by smoking it other than for medicinal purposes. My husband maintained a good job, but I got really tired of his red eyes, stoned look and dependence on a substance that affected his personality. Whether it's better or worse than alcohol or other drugs is completely irrelevant. It's a drug, it has some negative side effects, its true impact on health has yet to be discovered and it affects not only the user, but family members as well. In the end, I divorced my husband and the "cannabis use disorder." No regrets.
LKS
USAAug. 30
@Kevin Understand your wife's chronic pain need and I mention I don't see the value of smoking cannabis other than for medicinal purposes. As far as my marriage, I found living with an addict, even if it was "just pot," horrible and an absolute dealbreaker.
Metaphor
OregonAug. 29
Makes sense. There was a man who rented the apartment next to mine at my vacation condo complex (he was a full-time renter). He smoked marijuana from the moment he woke up in the morning until he went to sleep at night. I could hear him coughing all day long, and the ventilation system allowed smoke to drift into my unit. To say this guy was an addict is an understatement. Anyone who smokes pot his entire waking hours without interruption has a serious problem.
KathyS
NYAug. 29
Today's cannabis is far more potent with exponentially far higher levels of THC than the cannabis of even a few years ago. There are concentrated THC products such as oil, shatter, dab, and edibles that have been able to get the THC concentration upwards of 95%. That's an ENORMOUS increase over the cannabis of the 80's which averaged around 4% THC.
This higher potency cannabis has been proven to negatively affect the brain, especially in teens and people under the age of 25 where their brains are still developing, but still negatively effects the brain of all users no matter their age. This high potency cannabis actually alters the brain, is addictive, can cause psychosis, depression, irreversible loss of IQ. It's really pure poison and should never have been legalized for anything other than medical use.
Judi
North CarolinaAug. 30
@zeke27This has been my stance all along. As compared to alcohol and tobacco use, the research of how pot affects the body is comparatively thin. And yet, people use it. Some longtime users are commenting that it hadn’t affected them, but I wonder if people who know them would have a different opinion?
Emma
Northanger AbbeyAug. 29
Big mistake making drugs legal in this country. Our incompetent government allowed Purdue Pharma to push the most dangerous narcotic for decades; it's no surprise the elite were able to overturn state laws put in place to protect the health and safety of the population. When the greedy rich want money all sanity goes out the door.
AS
New JerseyAug. 30
My conclusion after reading many comments is we don't like this science so we'll mock and ignore it.
Sally
the frozen northAug. 30
I support the legalization of MJ, but I gave up smoking it on December 31, 1999, after 20 years of daily use. I quit cold turkey, which was hard but necessary. Like all substances smoked, I have developed lung problems. Walking around in a daze was normal for me. I found that having a clear head and lungs was a preferred way to live for me. I have voted for the legalization and have subsequently lived where it was legal but have never regretted giving it up. Smoke at your own risk.
gpickard
Richmond via LuxembourgAug. 29
I do not think pot heads are less capable than those who use alcohol every day to perform their work. However, in my industry where we use heavy equipment, like an offshore 7000 ton crane, there is no place for even a casual marijuana user. There is no way for companies to determine with any accuracy whether a person who uses marijuana, did so 1 hour ago or 1 month ago. Alcohol, and even cocaine and heroin wash out of a persons drug test in a few days, but marijuana, shows up for months. There is no way I could hire a pot user to operate a 100 ton crane much less a 7000 ton crane. My insurance, most governments, industrial standard societies, government regulations, good HSE protocol forbid a person with a positive pot test to operate heavy machinery. For good reason. My advice to pot users, stay behind a desk, don't drive when stoned and when you're high, stay home.
Dale
ChicagoAug. 29
@gpickard Agreed. And of course you would also support the continuous and frequent testing of pilots, bus drivers, police officers, ship captains et. al, who's actual cargo while not so impressive as a gozillion ton crane is much more important.
gpickard
Richmond via LuxembourgAug. 30
@Dale Dale, Anyone of those occupations require drug tests. I am not aware of any company of any size that does not require a drug test.
RCP
TexasAug. 30
Increased psychotic episodes related to use of refined, better farmed MJ has been reported but nothing seems to deter the belief that widespread legalization of it is a good thing. Ridiculous. We no more need a stoned population than we do a drunk one.
Dragline72
FLAug. 30
Initially I was for legalizing recreational marijuana. Now I'm not so sure. While recently visiting a "pot friendly" city's downtown, I had the pleasure of smelling marijuana virtually everywhere my family & I went. My teenage sons thought it was a Snoopdog cool thing to see & smell pot smokers around us, while my wife & I felt differently. To those who are medicinal users, more power to you. But to all the recreational users who feel the need to smoke pot in public places & permeate the air with your pot smoke, take a hike. The only one it's so-called benefiting is you.
View from here
New ZealandAug. 29
So many commenters are wilfully misreading this article. Because they are not in that 20% who have addiction and other problems, they ignore or deny that anyone does.
I have never used pot because of an effectively frightening antidrug programme at my high school. I know some people who have got away with using it recreationally, to destress in an evening, as I do a glass of wine on occasion. I know others who are definitely addicted, and I have seen the social and health problems associated with that. And I mean a physical dependency, not a habit. Including a close relative, so it is entirely possible that my body would have reacted that way.
I also will never forget working in a sewing factory, when the girl next to me sewed her finger, and the boss, who had got stoned over his lunch hour, was totally incapable of assisting. Pot use is very common in New Zealand, but it is not yet legal. A referendum at our last election failed to change this, although it was close. I am wary of sending any message that it is safe, because of the 20%, and because of the damage it does to teenage brains. Before you reply that I drink alcohol, that cat is out of the bag, and two wrongs don't make a right.
Mark
GermanyAug. 29
@Daniel just because you personally want to believe that brain altering drugs are harmless does not make that so....it may well be true that there is no way to stop people using drugs.....but let us not play down the risks please.
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