digg

if theyre offering REHAB for 'pot addiction' instead of JAIL to minor offenders..who WOULDNT go for it

FTA
"According to state and national statistics, up to 70 percent of all individuals in drug treatment for marijuana are placed there by the criminal justice system."


weve been getting that same ***** about 'addiction' in UK recently as well
- also usually supported by big rises in numbers from confessions of 'addiction' in criminal prosecutions ...Duhhh
..papers like the Daily Mail love it


i think in UK they often just copy the US approach to drugs assuming its 'American' and therefore 'sophisticated' ...without realizing how bad and old fashioned your Drug laws are
..bit of a TransAtlantic *****-up by UK there

God help us. Marijuana could help about 40 diseases. It shouldn't be illegal at all. It certainly isn't a class one like heroin.
Looks like the special interests in the Pharma industy are pressuring their people in Washington.
Personally, I'd like to see what drugs our so-called elected representatives have in their bodies............................

There is no true addiction for Marijuana... At least nothing more than any other enjoyable activity. Sex is more addicting, and we are programed by evolution to desire that...
The only thing that makes Marijuana even remotely addictive, is that it's enjoyable.
Ask anyone to give up their favorite enjoyable hobbies, and you can be darn sure they'll show signs of being "addicted" to it...

Honestly, the only thing close to a withdrawal, which I've experienced personally... Was a desire to use Marijuana, after I had quit for a while... It lasted a few days, and I got over it quickly and easily. This is NOTHING when compared to other drugs!

By comparison, a drug like Alcohol has such a strong withdrawal from it's addiction, that it could actually kill you, just from not using it anymore!!! Can the same be said of Pot? NO.

In my mind, anyone that claims the be addicted to Marijuana, is either brainwashed, or they have absolutely no willpower whatsoever.

It is insulting, to people who've REALLY experienced a real addiction, to claim Marijuana is anything close to that.

Im clearly addicted to marijuana

the real problem here is that this is a privacy issue. the govts the world over are telling people what they can and cannot do with their own bodies, regardless of the fact that there is no "victim" in this "crime." truth is, its too hard to tax and regulate. instead of being progressive and figuring out efficient ways to tax and regulate, its easier to just stick users/dealers in jail and allow the market to exist unregulated. it's lazy and an incorrect way to go about this. Most of all, it is irresponsible policy, in that is does more harm than the 'crime' it supposedly seeks to abolish (which wont ever be accomplished: marijuana will exist far longer than mankind.)

I am all for the legalization of marijuana, but I know some heavy smokers who themselves believe they have some sort of addiction. Mostly they complain of not being able to sleep if they are not able to get high, the longer the period they go without smoking, the worse the insomnia gets until eventually it ebbs.

It seems you can be addicted to just about anything, so I am not shocked that people can develop a pang for mary jane if they smoke long enough, and heavily enough. Mild insomnia that lasts for a period of months would hardly seem to be all that bad.

Still, this is anecdotal and by no means a scientific study, more of an observation through association with some good-to-know potheads.

It depends on your definition of "addiction". If you think marijuana is addictive, than ANYTHING is addictive. That includes World of Warcraft, doing housework, and clipping your toenails. I believe true addiction is when there are serious, consistent physical changes that occur from withdrawl. Therefore, things like meth, heroin, crack, smoking, etc. are addictive because there is actually something physical that is keeping you addicted to them. Everything else is "habit-forming".

I think the problem with this interpretation is the idea that addiction = chemical dependance. If you look at the process of recovering from an addiction the physical withdrawl is the easy part, in a lot of cases they use medical assistance to make sure the patient doesn't really feel too much discomfort. Then they start the more difficult psychological process.

Addiction is an emotional disorder were someone uses a substance or an activity as a coping mechanism and can't stop despite serious consequences, it can take years for a patient to recover and in many cases they don't.

Marijuana is a lot less destructive to our society then alcohol or gambling or prescription pain medication which are all probably more addictive. But it's certainly is addictive.

It's the lifestyle that's addicting. You try saying no to being perfectly content sitting around playing video games all day.

Sorry to bring this up, but its kinda related......and I got an obligation to help fellow stoners and decent people!:

In Oakland County Michigan, the pro-pot group NORML are Doubling Donations to the BC3 between March 21-30!

Help save Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams from extradition to the USA and donate!!

Here is some information if you feel like it......... http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/5175.html

Peace to you all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMpUuspjc7Y&feature ...

Just because you smoke pot doesn't mean you belong in jail or in rehab. As well, rehab frequently introduces marijuana users to more addictive drugs.

I crave coffee every day.
I smoke weed when I feel like it, and I never pay for it because it grows out of the ground.
Life is good.

Marijuana is not physically addictive like heroin or nicotine, but it is psychologically addictive. Basically, you get the idea that you can't do anything or behave normally without being high. Kinda like the guy in Half Baked.

I hate to point this out, and I know I'll be voted down for criticizing Digg's most popular user, but Mr. BabyMan's sources are getting a little ridiculous. Most of the content that I have seen him submit in the past few weeks has been ripped straight from the front page of Reddit, where it appears roughly a day and a half before. Obviously this content is tried and true on social media and likely to get votes, so it seems that BabyMan has given up on finding his own content and is now just going for the popularity.

Sorry to have to point out the truth.

Marijuana is addictive. It has physical and psychological effects, and some people become dependent on those effects. I'm sure anything that is remotely pleasant can become an addiction, but marijuana is no different. It should be legal, and is not nearly as bad as some stigma associated with it, but it can be harmful as well.

My name is Jeff, and I'm addicted to the weedpot.

Nice article.
Although I rarely consider alternet to be a credible news source. Way too biased for me.
This is coming from a liberal.

Going off the reasons they give for pot being illegal.... Alcohol should be Schedule 1

i love weed tho.

i'm addicted to this purple ***** i got right now.

If you smoke enough of it everyday, then yes it does become addicting. ANYTHING you do everyday to give yourself pleasure, MASTURBATION INCLUDED, is addicting, why do you think the porn industry does so well? I've used it for years to help with my depression, but recently i've had to give it up because 95% of American jobs require a drug test. It only took me 2 days of headaches and being tired to get over it, after smoking pretty much everyday for the past hell knows how long, try that with cigarettes. Now that i'm off of it i'm back to my normal dull sobriety depressed life.THANKS TO CORPORATE BASTARDS AND OUR GOVERNMENT I CAN'T TAKE SOME LESS LETHAL DRUG, INSTEAD BIG PHARMA WANTS ME TO BUY THEIR PLACEBOS THEY CLAIM TO HELP "DEPRESSION". ***** YOU AMERICA, ***** YOU REAL GOOD!!!!

Marijuana is a boon to humanity, and the birthright of free peoples world-wide. Any who sunder their fellow citizens from this miraculous plant are enemies of freedom and represent the darkest form of authoritarianism.

Man I would much rather stop smoking weed than stop drinking caffeine and soda. I get headaches within 12 hours of not drinking soda. I'll stop smoking for weeks and nothing happens. The only sort of addiction that I have to weed is habit, my friends and I smoke at night. I've stopped for smoking for months at a time to no ill effects. But god help those around me if I don't have enough caffeine.

WEED? Weed ain't a drug. You ever suck dick for weed? Well I've sucked dick for coke! Now that's a drug!

"Calling" BS? I hate people that say "I call BS." Seriously.

I'm all for marijuana legalization. I don't really care whether its addictive or not, though for most people it seems it isn't. The main thing is getting rid of the pointless and expensive (in many ways) 'war on drugs'. BTW, I'm also in favor of legalizing cocaine and other highly addictive, dangerous substances. Not that you should be able to get them without a prescription, perhaps. With decriminalizing possession of these substances, the war on drugs can be refocused on rehabilitation and not incarceration. Furthermore, illegal drug cartels like the mexican mob and etc would be deprived of income.

Can I call BS on this 'calling BS' catchphrase?

It is good to see that so many people are considering the concept that it might not be such a great idea to imprison people for what amounts to a bad nutritional decision that affects nobody who does not consent to the risk of harm. From a biological standpoint, alcohol, Marijuana, and nicotine are not all that different. The biggest difference by far is the artificial (aka legal) difference.
I hope you all will consider other libertarian ideas

1) cannabis is non toxic
2) cannabis is fun to use, relaxing, and non debilitating
3) cannabis withdrawal has no identifiable "abstinence syndrome" (e.g., a reliable set of withdrawal symptoms associates with rapid cessation of chronic use)

Given #1, #2, and #3, it's pretty obscene for the federal government to be borrowing yet more money that we don't have in order to research a "disease" (marijuana addiction) that doesn't exist. But such is the Orwellian world of drug prohibition. It's gotten so bad this sort of ***** seems almost ingrained in our culture.

the only withdrawal symptom you get from Marijuana is the realization of how ***** bored you are.

It's not physically addictive at all, but it can be VERY psychologically addictive. From what I've seen, the psychological side of any drug is always the hardest to overcome.

Let me just start off by saying that comparing the addiction potential of pot to that of caffeine is more than fair.

I know, I know, for the longest time I thought it was a silly assertion also. But then I got addicted to pot.

No, seriously. Seriously.

I don't mean addiction the kind of addiction you acquire to nicotine and cocaine, which many cannabis opponents like to purport. But to say that no addictive symptoms occur after a year of smoking repeatedly each day is just as preposterous.

Allow me to elaborate. On days that I decide to take off from smoking (or simply cannot get my hands on any cannabinoids whatsoever) there are a few mild withdrawal symptoms I experience. Most notably is my inability to sleep. I have been in the ritual of smoking before going off to sleep, and when I haven't done so I find it impossible to nod off, literally not falling asleep the entire night. This generally only occurs the first night without pot, and I can sleep normally later in the day usually. In addition to this I have a greatly decreased appetite at times when I've been without weed. Not in the same way stimulants decrease your appetite in that you feel hungry but food makes you ill; I just have decreased hunger. Generally this lasts longer than sleeplessness. Finally, I catch myself being irritable and intolerant towards others. If you've been addicted to cigarettes, it is very comparable to that. This lasts the longest, usually I still feel moody after three days or so.

I conclude by saying that there is no doubt in my mind that pot has addictive potential, albeit a very mild one almost comparable to that of any other drug. It's really not very significant, but it's wrong to say that it's nonexistent.

Oh, and yes, I have also been addicted to caffeine, cocaine, and cigarettes. Don't think I don't know my *****.

Smoker for around 8 years now. . . . . I had to quit several months ago because of works drug testing . . . . . not been a problem.

There is no addiction.

maybe we should legalize it?

To be honest, there is such a thing as Marijuana addiction and it can be rather depressing when you're trying to stop. Like others have said, it's not physically addictive, but it can be mentally.

Sorry, but that's a fact for a lot of people.

marijuana is not a drug, you ever suck dick for weed!?!

"It's laughable that the Feds are pushing the concept of pot addiction when science shows that withdrawal symptoms from caffeine are far worse."

By this definition, nothing is addictive except whichever drug has the worst withdrawal symptoms of all.

Why is it that Diggers are all for science and the scientific method when we're talking about evolution, but if we talk about global warming or pot, there is a vast conspiracy afoot in the scientific community?

i know a few people who seem pretty addicted

LEGALIZE IT!

Somebody needs to learn the difference between addiction and dependence.

Heh...the US government has a new bogeyman behind every corner...if it's not the Taliban it's Marijuana, if it's not Marijuana, it's.... you get my drift?

I know a few potheads, and I will be quite frank....MJ smokers are pretty cool, and they can integrate into public easier than an alcoholic, and they make good late night customers at the grocery stores.

Smoked buds for nearly half my life. Quit recently. No craving whatsoever.

I always found this topic funny. I can stop smoking whenever I want to. herb > pills