On the subject of Marijuana "addiction"...

[Egg Nog]

When I was travelling in Asia I heard a term I had never heard before...

Quite a few of the The Germans, Australians, British, etc, that we met along the way told us the marijuana term "Canadian Style" in reference to a joint filled entirely with pot, rather than mixed with tobacco. They said it was almost universal that joints are rolled with tobacco, with the only prominent exception being Canada, hence the term.

I've never heard of anyone locally getting addicted to marijuana, despite Vancouver being a global "cannabis Mecca". I know hundreds of people who smoke pot in varying amounts and not a single one has ever claimed to be addicted to it. I've also never heard of anyone around here mixing tobacco in when smoking it. However, a few people I've talked to (Dutch, British, and Aussie) have mentioned that they have friends who are said to be addicted to pot, and smoke joints regularly to get their fix.

It doesn't take to much mental effort to understand where I'm going with this - it seems very possible that the "addiction" I'm hearing about comes from the tobacco in the joint rather than the marijuana. I remember Drakkie mentioning that he was "addicted to weed" and only managed to get off it with the help of cigarettes.

I'm not trying to claim anything, just pointing out something that a few of you guys might find interesting. By the way, keep in mind we're talking about physical addiction, rather than just mental habituation. Cleaning your room, speeding in a car, or eating your favorite food might seem to be an "addiction" to some people, but of course they are not physically addicted to these things. It's an important distinction.


Any thoughts? Feel free to speak your mind, but lets try to keep it on topic.

[werty]

I would say that the "lifestyle" is more addictive than anything else

[baddabang]

This sounds accurate. I also know plenty of regular cannibus users, none have ever claimed to be addicted. Even if they did it would all be in their head. Since tobacco nautrally has nicotine in it then I would assume that it is causing the addiction. So yeah good point.

I think its just the way people use it, It makes them feel good and happy so why not contine with it. Since there are no physical withdrawl symptoms what do they have to worry about? I quit all by myself with no trouble at all, but then again we never laced anything with tobacco (or cocain for that matter).

[IBrake4Rainbows]

I had a mate who went 'canadian' the whole time. he probably smoked 5-10grams a day.

Weed itself is almost as addictive and more harmful that tobacco. Research shows that although many drug prevention programs focus on the Tablets/Injection style drugs, in many Cases Marijuana, because of it's perspective altering ability, is more harmful in the long-term, because of the attitude of 'it's only cannabis, it's not going to do much damage'.

again it's a user choice thing. I personally don't do any drugs, but thats my choice, and i'm not going to judge others for their actions because I'm not qualified to.

I will only say that addiction to anything, IMHO, is not a good thing.

[Egg Nog]

I would say that the "lifestyle" is more addictive than anything else

Yes, like I mentioned in the last paragraph... habituation applies to many things for many people, like hyper-cleanliness, pot-smoking, laziness, or driving too fast. This is not a true dependency, of course, just something that a person can get accustomed to doing on a regular basis.

[my porsche]

addictions are for pussies.

[Egg Nog]

It seems to me that, barring true physical addiction, the want to continue use of a substance or (for example) driving too fast is the fault of the person rather than the tool. If someone abuses either of these things, it's their bad decision-making that's doing it - the person is to blame rather than the car.

I had a mate who went 'canadian' the whole time. he probably smoked 5-10grams a day.

Weed itself is almost as addictive and more harmful that tobacco. Research shows that although many drug prevention programs focus on the Tablets/Injection style drugs, in many Cases Marijuana, because of it's perspective altering ability, is more harmful in the long-term, because of the attitude of 'it's only cannabis, it's not going to do much damage'.

again it's a user choice thing. I personally don't do any drugs, but thats my choice, and i'm not going to judge others for their actions because I'm not qualified to.

I will only say that addiction to anything, IMHO, is not a good thing.

Thanks for contributing this - hopefully we'll stay on topic maybe even as far as page 2

Could you expand a little on how you say marijuana is "almost as addictive and more harmful than tobacco"?

[Egg Nog]

addictions are for pussies.

I wouldn't exactly say that anyone addicted to tobacco is a pussy, but I'd definitely say that addiction is nearly always the result of a bad decision. The only exceptions would be somewhere along the lines of a byproduct morphine addiction after a massive surgery.

I often feel that people who try to quit smoking cigarettes don't try hard enough, but then again I don't know what they're going through because I've never felt anything like what they feel. Still, it always seems they should try harder. Everyone I've ever met who's quit smoking has told me it's one of the best decisions they've ever made

[baddabang]

Could you expand a little on how you say marijuana is "almost as addictive and more harmful than tobacco"?

My friends mother is a drug counsler or something, and I'v seen some interesting numbers about marijuana being more harmfull than tobacco. Apparenty smoking 3 joints a day would be the same as smoking 20 cigarettes because when you inhale off a joint you hold it longer, so then more chemicals, and tar enter your lungs.

[CdocZ]

Sounds to me like, yes indeed its the tobacco.

Also, I know that yeah, weed isn't the healthiest thing ever, but unless your talking like one extreme potheaded kid, I'd say tobbaco is definitely worse. But I will say that saying that weed is damn near harmless/less bad for you the tobacco by no means at all justifies it's use. Both are bad for the body, one more physically (tobacco), one more mentally until the buildup of too much use occurs (weed). However, I will say that to do a little bit of experimentation with weed, is alot easier to justify then experimenting with tobacco. Why? Because if you are just doing it, let's say once a month, weed will do very little, and it won't become a habit. However, a single ciggarrette can leave you craving just one more.....and then another, and so on.

This is all up for criticism, just be nice about it. This is all based off what I've seen in friends, and in my area.

EDIT: Egg, he probably means what I referred to in this post - The person who says "it's just weed", might first just smoke like once a week. But when they see they enjoy it, they say "its harmless, weed doesn't do anything". So they do it more, and more and more, until they are a genuine pothead - multiple joints a day perhaps even. But the thing is, weed does do SOME damage, not much, but some. This will lead to the person not caring that they are indeed damaging themselves when they smoke the 3rd/4th joints of the day, whereas if they had a tobacco problem, they might realize faster that it is bad for them. The end result, is the person doesn't try to stop it, because marijuana is known as totally harmless by many people, despite the truth being otherwise. It is barely bad, but that little bad-ness, times however many joints they smoke, every DAY is bad.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

It seems to me that, barring true physical addiction, the want to continue use of a substance or (for example) driving too fast is the fault of the person rather than the tool. If someone abuses either of these things, it's their bad decision-making that's doing it - the person is to blame rather than the car.

It's certainly to do with the 'comfort zone' thinking. that is you know what you're limits are and, if you've done it before, what stopping you now?

The bad craftsman always blames his tools - the drug user always blames the addiction or the drug, never himself.


Thanks for contributing this - hopefully we'll stay on topic maybe even as far as page 2

Could you expand a little on how you say marijuana is "almost as addictive and more harmful than tobacco"?

It's my pleasure to contribute - i've had little contact with marijuana (Save for a few parties where i said 'no, thanks', but my friend, you'll be pleased to know, is clean and sober (for the most part) and making something of his life.

Marijuana is an addictive substance, much like Tobacco in the sense that it triggers the brains pleasure glands into thinking it's a good thing that your smoking.

Research on the net (5 Minutes on Google) and there seems to be more pro than anti Marijuana sites.

I was viewing a TV program called 'Insight' here in Australia, it's a Debate-type program where a group of people come to voice their opinion on an issue. most of the Young people in the Audience were under the impression that Weed was the least harmful of the big 4 (Tobacco, Alcohol, Meth and Weed) that affect youth today. Its right up there because it can lead to long-term side effects mentally. they spoke to a Mental health nurse (Part of the reason we were watching it - My mother used to be a mental health nurse) and she was saying how she deals daily with heavy users who have lost mental capacity because of the altering effects of the drug.

It's not as carcinogenic according to research, but it's still more so than sucking on the end of an exhaust pipe.

Neither of them are healthy habits, but if you were forced to choose, Marijuana is Slightly healthier.

I wouldn't want either in my system - it's a Lazy High, if you will. because you're not having to work for it, you just take a puff and you get the same buzz as climbing a cliff face or whatever.

[mmm_aapls]

I do believe that people get addicted to dope, but I am only talking from personal experiences.

I have never tried, nor will try the stuff. So I don't know what it is like.

But, my mates and family all use the stuff. Even my girl does.

My girlfrined does it recreationally, and does smoke joints with tobacco. I would say she is not addicted to dope, but she is a cigarette smoker so getting high for her is just for then sake of getting high, not addiction.

My brother however has been smoking since a young age and I would consider him addicted. He operates normally when stoned, and is grumpy as all hell when straight. He gets the shakes when straight and even breaks out in cold sweats. All symptoms of physical withdrawl. He wakes up in the morning, rolls over, has a bong. No tobacco at all. He has some serious mental illnesses and many experts blame it on dope.

So, I think it is hard to addicted to dope, but once you are, it can cause serious problems.

[Egg Nog]

My friends mother is a drug counsler or something, and I'v seen some interesting numbers about marijuana being more harmfull than tobacco. Apparenty smoking 3 joints a day would be the same as smoking 20 cigarettes because when you inhale off a joint you hold it longer, so then more chemicals, and tar enter your lungs.

Yes I've heard all of these before too. It's very evident from self-observation that addiction isn't as prominent as most drug prevention classes tout it to be, but it's hard to know what to think as far as physical damage goes. Marijuana has been said to kill brain cells which is biologically impossible for it to do. As far as cancer goes, it's hard to know which studies to believe. I've seen many that say it can cause cancer and many that say it can't. Here are a few links to a study that says it doesn't, although I'm not saying this is true, I'm just pointing out the existence of the study and its results.

http://bbsnews.net/article.php/20050710150925597
http://www.ccguide.org.uk/nocancer.php
http://www.counterpunch.org/gardner07022005.html
http://www.canorml.org/healthfacts/t...ungcancer.html

[IBrake4Rainbows]

Yes I've heard all of these before too. It's very evident from self-observation that addiction isn't as prominent as most drug prevention classes tout it to be, but it's hard to know what to think as far as physical damage goes. Marijuana has been said to kill brain cells which is biologically impossible for it to do. As far as cancer goes, it's hard to know which studies to believe. I've seen many that say it can cause cancer and many that say it can't. Here are a few links to a study that says it doesn't, although I'm not saying this is true, I'm just pointing out the existence of the study and its results.

http://bbsnews.net/article.php/20050710150925597
http://www.ccguide.org.uk/nocancer.php
http://www.counterpunch.org/gardner07022005.html
http://www.canorml.org/healthfacts/t...ungcancer.html

Marijuana doesn't kill brain cells, but it affects their connections, so that when signals are trying to be sent to an area of the brain, it slows, or redirects them.

[CdocZ]

Marijuana doesn't kill brain cells, but it affects their connections, so that when signals are trying to be sent to an area of the brain, it slows, or redirects them.

Hence why people who use marijuana alot, may not have been at all ADD-like before, are ADD-like afterwards, except with worse mental side affects. (ADD is brought on by weird brain connections)