Is Marijuana More Addictive Than Alcohol?

I have yet to see someone die from not smoking marijuana, however many alcoholics have died trying to quit drinking.

Lemme know when someone dies from physical withdrawal of marijuana until then... Find another way to demonize it.

originally posted by: MrPlow
To an addict...a person whose life is controlled by drugs...all are equally addicting.

Not true. There's a difference between addiction and habit. Unless you're talking about cigarettes and then it's both. That's even harder to kick than booze.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

EVERYONE READ THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES. there is plenty of information about the history and what government has tried to say compared to what actual research says.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t

originally posted by: rickymouse
I would vote that it does have addictive properties for some people. Some people can get addicted to alcohol also, but most get addicted to the way of life that alcohol steers you to. That isn't really a true addiction though, you get used to going to bars and talking to people who are more sociable when they drink. It is a social adjuvant.

Marijuana is definitely addictive. It just isn't as addictive as alcohol.

Is it more addictive than reading and posting on ATS?

a reply to: guitarplayer
There is no question about it, MJ IS A KILLER!

Its a killer because of who gets to market it. You
should never purchase it from organized crime. You
will have blood on you hands.

If you don't grow it yourself, know your provider.

Addiction follows a bell curve. There are always those who
are highly susceptable to addiction to a particular substance
There are people who should never touch alcohol. Possibly
the same with MJ, but not as likely.

When I lived in Morocco, mostly single men, who had no
prospects for marriage were users. For a lot of people it
blunts the sex drive.

a reply to: IWasHereEonsAgo

I agree with most of what you say, but nicotine is a medicine if used right. That is probably why the government hasn't made it illegal. Many people self medicate with tobacco for a variety of reasons. Pharma does not like this medicine because they want to supply all of the people. Many people who quit need inhalers, the inhalers do just about the same effect as the tobacco. The condition was not caused by cigarettes in this case, cigarettes were a legitimate treatment. Take away the cigs and you need medicine, you would have needed the medicine years earlier if you did not smoke.

As normal, this whole thing is a scam. The treatment properties of tobacco have been known for over sixty years. Nicotine attaches to the acetylcholine sensor of cells and fires them up. The same thing as albuterol does but a little different, that uses acetylcholine instead of the nicotine. This is a treatment for asthma symptoms and is not related to complications of smoking most times. It is from a deficiency of enzymes or improper enzyme activity from other sources most times.

a reply to: rickymouse

Um, no. Tobacco is left alone because of their lobby. And as one who knows, can't go into any more detail because of the T&C, nicotine is the WORST. The MOST addictive substance... ciggy's.

originally posted by: grandmakdw

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
It will be interesting to see what happens if marijuana was made legal. People would have little victory gardens in their back yard. That is when we will find out how much damage is possible. Low cost and high availability will change the amount of consumption.

True, I have heard that "high" driving is on the increase in states that have legalized pot.
While I'm not against legalization, the penalties for "high" driving should be as steep and as well advertised as drunk driving.

I'd like to see some stats on that please. I've heard the opposite.

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
It will be interesting to see what happens if marijuana was made legal. People would have little victory gardens in their back yard. That is when we will find out how much damage is possible. Low cost and high availability will change the amount of consumption.

True, I have heard that "high" driving is on the increase in states that have legalized pot.
While I'm not against legalization, the penalties for "high" driving should be as steep and as well advertised as drunk driving.

As for addiction, as a retired Psy professor, I don't know of any studies that show any alarming rate of physical addiction. However, there is a risk for psychological addiction, but since the addict normally is lethargic they are rarely harmful to others unless driving or operating machinery of any kind.

No point in reading the thread in entirety. It's one side bashing the other, eternally.

So...

originally posted by: Krazysh0t "Is marijuana more addictive than alcohol?" Now anyone who is even remotely familiar with this plant should already know the answer to this question. It's almost insulting what some people will go to try to drag this plant back down into the depths of evilness. With that being said, let's begin the disinformation deconstruction.

....

... yep, you're right. Anyone familiar with this plant already knows that different people respond differently, much like different people have differing responses to alcohol, ethanol in particular... which I am assuming you are referencing 'alcohol' as being ethanol in this context, correct? There are hundreds if not thousands of 'alcohol' compound out there, so I guess this is your first, and last strike regarding presentation of truth.

So... as I've just mentioned, if you're familiar with this plant, you already know your allegations and accusations are false... yet you continue on with them.

To which I reply: it is insulting that some express ideas, thinking they know better, or know more than others, and continue suggesting there is little to no predication towards dependence or addiction to Marijuana because it's "natural" despite the fact that there "habitual" marijuana users.

a reply to: intrepid

I smoke about a half a pack a day and I smoke a little over half of the cigarette. Sometimes I don't need to smoke for many hours, but if I go into a crowded room full of people with aftershaves and perfumes, I have to go out and smoke about once an hour after having a tightened chest half the hour. It keeps my intollerance to these things at bay. I suppose I don't need to go into a place like that, but I do go to see some seminars once in a while with lots of people there. I also have a problem in line at stores. They should make perfume illegal. I could turn into a hermit I suppose and stay at home. Save a lot of money that way.

originally posted by: intrepid

originally posted by: grandmakdw

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
It will be interesting to see what happens if marijuana was made legal. People would have little victory gardens in their back yard. That is when we will find out how much damage is possible. Low cost and high availability will change the amount of consumption.

True, I have heard that "high" driving is on the increase in states that have legalized pot.
While I'm not against legalization, the penalties for "high" driving should be as steep and as well advertised as drunk driving.

I'd like to see some stats on that please. I've heard the opposite.

Here are a few from Washington state:

www.csmonitor.com...

newstalk870.am...

The stats from Colorado are more inconclusive because of the way their enforcement is still struggling with what is impaired stoned driving and what is "safe" stoned driving.

My personal opinion, there is no such thing as safe stoned driving, and there is no such thing as safe drunk driving either.

What is known: www.npr.org...

After using marijuana, Huestis says, people generally have more trouble staying in lanes, they struggle to do multiple tasks at once, and there's a real problem maintaining concentration on long, monotonous drives.

But does that translate into more accidents? Studies of the crash risk associated with marijuana have produced mixed results, says Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

"Not only do we not have consensus on the risk associated with the presence of marijuana — we don't have information on the crash risk for different amounts of marijuana," McCartt says. "We don't even have good information on how many drivers involved in fatal crashes test positive for marijuana. So there's a lot we don't know."...."We've used that science, for example, to enact in all 50 states laws that make it illegal to drive with [blood alcohol contents] of 0.08 percent or higher," she says. "We don't have comparable information on marijuana."

As marijuana use becomes more accepted in the U.S., McCartt says, the public safety issue is concerning. As a researcher, she says, it's frustrating not to have the science needed to craft effective, enforceable laws for drugs, including marijuana.

To repeat myself, I am not against legalization
I AM against stoned driving or stoned machinery operation
There is enough evidence of motor skill impairment to cause great concern when using and driving.

a reply to: UMayBRite!

Many things in life are addictive and can do harm.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I say yes, because happiness is pretty damn addictive and marijuana makes you laugh 100x more than alcohol ever could.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I think we can all agree that the impacts or alcohol are significantly higher than that of marijuana. Sometimes I just have to sign on to try and understand the purpose or these marijuana threads a little more. I wish they still had these topics banned because they are all the same. You're comparing what is for the most part an illicit substance in the eyes of the general population to something sold everywhere. This is about as bad as the Obama is bad but not as bad as bush so he gets a pass argument I keep reading. I am confident that 95%+ of the people who advocate for marijuana legalization simply want to get stoned. The others are using legitimate arguments to for health benefits such as increased appetite or reduction of seizures. So some reporter had an opinion that marijuana is addictive, great.. This is equally as crazy to me as opinions that marijuana is harmless. I don't put much stock in the reporter or even the position of this thread due to bias at face value alone. Best of luck to you in your crusade to rid the world of the collaborative efforts to prevent people from getting high..

a reply to: Krazysh0t

It's just as addictive, if not more addictive than alcohol. I've seen it first hand how potheads NEED pot to do anything. They would smoke it until they passed out if they could. TBH, I can't stand hanging with pot heads, they're boring.

But, I think it's just as, if not, more addictive than alcohol from personal experience being around both.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Some of these responses are just ridiculous...

I've NEVER met ANYONE who said they were "addicted" to Cannabis. Heavy users, those who use it more than one time daily, can stop using it with ZERO side effects. But that is just my experience with someone VERY close to me...

With that said, when someone does stop using Cannabis, can they be a bit cranky? Sure, but there are NO seizures, no pooping themselves all over while vomiting, no liver failure or cirrhosis...

All of these anti-cannabis article of late are REALLY grasping at straws. However, I believe MOST people (those with a lick of sense) will do their own research on the subject.

Some of the world's most intelligent (Einstein) and talented (name just about any famous artist) people used Cannabis. It makes food taste better, music sound better, a mundane trip to the grocery much better, or so I have heard.

Even if Cannabis is NEVER actually legalized for recreation throughout the United States, I hope one day, sooner than later, the PTB will legalize and allow farmers to grow Hemp again. It has SO many uses and would have a tremendously positive impact on our failing environment. However, as a health care professional, I would love to see Cannabis legalized ASAFP in ALL 50 states for medical use. The SCIENCE is there, people. It truly gives people back their lives.

IMHO, It could put a BIG dent in the over-prescribing of opiates and benzodiazepines and would help a number of people kick their need for these EVIL, soul sucking pharmaceuticals. I also believe if this happened, it would (hopefully) have some sort of impact on the raging, out of control HEROIN problem in the USA. For example, if people never got hooked on pain pills which leads to things like getting busted by the doc for doctor shopping or running thru their monthly script in 10 days, they wouldn't get CUT OFF their opioids, thrown into opiate withdrawal, and ultimately onto Heroin since it is dirt cheap and in every city and town in the US of A!

S&F for bringing yet ANOTHER ridiculous anti-Cannabis "article" to light!

To answer the thread topic.

No!

Why?

Addiction is in your mind. Some people are addicted to eating deodorant, others to cigarets. Can I make a chocolate bar that contains nicotine? No.

This world is so upside down sometimes, I feel I need to walk on my hands to see things right.