When people talk about drug crimes, one thing that often comes up is the role of addiction. Many people would like to quit using illegal drugs, but they find that they cannot do so, as they are physically or psychologically addicted to those substances. Recently, we have even touched on the fact that addiction can lead to other criminal activities. This can also happen with alcohol, not just with hard drugs.
But what about marijuana? Is it possible to become addicted to marijuana?
Use disorders are possible
For a long time, people would say that it was impossible to become addicted to marijuana. And it is true that addiction to this substance is different from addiction to heroin or some other sort of high-level drug.
However, a certain level of use disorder is noted with those who use marijuana frequently. When they stop using, they may experience minor withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability. There can be some chemical changes within the brain, as the brain gets used to being given outside chemicals on a regular basis.
In some cases, people can become dependent on marijuana, to the point that they feel like they always need to use it. This is, again, different than the physical addiction that you may get with something like heroin, but it could drive someone to try to illegally obtain marijuana when they know that they shouldn’t. Or, someone who is young could use marijuana even though it is illegal for them, as it has been shown that people who begin using marijuana at a young age struggle with use disorders more often.
If you are the parent of a child who has been accused of criminal activity based on this type of drug use and dependency, be sure you fully understand all of the options at your disposal.