Is it really addictive? Feel free to express your opinions.

DethFan666:
Is it really addictive? Feel free to express your opinions.

No, it's not physically addicting by the medical definition of addiction. Unless you want to redefine addiction, that pretty much sums things up. Did you want to talk about more then just addiction and marijuana?

I accidentally hit "Yes" on the poll for some reason. Oops.

I think it can be addictive. Not necessarily in the ways that the propaganda commercials imply, or even addictive for everybody that participates in the use of marijuana. But I also don't think that it's as harmless as some people would have you believe.

Yes.
I have seen multiple people that I was very close friends with have their lives completely go to the shithouse soon after they started to smoke it. At first they used the argument that there were extenuating circumstances that caused their lives to change, but nothing had happened other than the marijuana usage prior to the degradation of their state of being.

runtheplacered:

DethFan666:
Is it really addictive? Feel free to express your opinions.

No, it's not physically addicting by the medical definition of addiction. Unless you want to redefine addiction, that pretty much sums things up. Did you want to talk about more then just addiction and marijuana?

I accidentally hit "Yes" on the poll for some reason. Oops.

We even out because I misunderstood the poll and hit "no" on accident.

wait, is that Should we have it yes or no or is it adictive yes or no?

statisticly it is less adictive than alcohol.

a7r0p05:
Yes.
I have seen multiple people that I was very close friends with have their lives completely go to the shithouse soon after they started to smoke it.

Even if that's true, which I'd love to hear the tale of how that could have happened (I have a feeling we're blaming pot, when maybe we should be blaming personalities) how is that evidence of addiction?

its not at all physically addictive, but from someone who smoked for 5years of his life consecutively everyday, you mentally want it all the time, yet you dont admit it at all until you quit. if abused to an extent it can mess up your life, but as long as your keep it under control marijuana can be a safe relaxing and organic way to relieve stress or just hang out.

The amount of marijuana required for you to die from smoking it is unsmokable.
The most hardcore, stereotyped hippies could not smoke that much.
In that regard, it's much safer than alcohol.

My point? It's way easier to drink 1 bottle of vodka and die than it is to smoke 500 spliffs in one day.

Anyway, I think marijuana is a lot less dangerous than any number of other things most Americans have shoved down their throats by advertisers. No number of "my brother was an idiot, waa, waa" stories shall change my mind.

That's why "Addiction" needs to be defined ahead of time. If we're talking about just wanting something pretty badly is addiction, then sure. But, you have to be careful with that, because then can't you say that anything you badly want is an addiction? Not smoking pot for awhile and wanting it is right up there with having a hankering for a cheeseburger, or something. But there are no withdrawal symptoms like there would be with certain pharmaceuticals, alcohol, or cocaine.

Addictive? Well, of course it can be addictive. Coffee can be addictive, chocolate, even exercise.

I suppose what I'm trying to say, like other posters, is that marijuana is addictive, but no more than any other psychoactive drug/activity.

Jamanticus:
Coffee can be addictive, chocolate, even exercise.

I would argue that coffee is a lot more addictive then marijuana, since there are actual side effects from not drinking it for awhile. Chocolate is a pretty good comparison though.

Marijuana is addictive in the same sense that chocolate, dancing, Tetris, bench presses, and taking naps in the mid-afternoon are addictive; that is to say, they're not. All of these things can be habit-forming (that is, mentally addictive); mountains of research shows that marijuana is not capable of creating chemical addictions, which is what we think of when we say that someone is addicted to caffeine, crack, meth, morphine, or heroin.

runtheplacered:

Jamanticus:
Coffee can be addictive, chocolate, even exercise.

I would argue that coffee is a lot more addictive then marijuana, since there are actual side effects from not drinking it for awhile. Chocolate is a pretty good comparison though.

Thank you. I've not really had much experience with coffee anyway, so I was making a guess.

One thing I can attest to, however, is that marijuana smells about as bad as coffee tastes (to me)- I had a roommate who occasionally smoked, and I could never really get over the smell.

Good morning blues:
Marijuana is addictive in the same sense that chocolate, dancing, Tetris, bench presses, and taking naps in the mid-afternoon are addictive; that is to say, they're not. All of these things can be habit-forming (that is, mentally addictive); mountains of research shows that marijuana is not capable of creating chemical addictions, which is what we think of when we say that someone is addicted to caffeine, crack, meth, morphine, or heroin.

Actually, chocolate was known to have some addictive qualities.

runtheplacered:

a7r0p05:
Yes.
I have seen multiple people that I was very close friends with have their lives completely go to the shithouse soon after they started to smoke it.

Even if that's true, which I'd love to hear the tale of how that could have happened (I have a feeling we're blaming pot, when maybe we should be blaming personalities) how is that evidence of addiction?

How would it be more reasonable to blame personalities? And yes, I am blaming pot.

I dont think pot is addicting at all... i have several friends that did it, got caught, went on probation, and are currently 5 months into probation, are currently clean, and are completely fine. sorry for all the commas

It affects people differently, calms some down while freaks others out. The same goes for addiction, I never got addicted (YES I SMOKED IT TWICE! LOCK ME AWAY!) but others i knew got addicted to it pretty easily and now its ruining there lives because of it.

a7r0p05:

runtheplacered:

a7r0p05:
Yes.
I have seen multiple people that I was very close friends with have their lives completely go to the shithouse soon after they started to smoke it.

Even if that's true, which I'd love to hear the tale of how that could have happened (I have a feeling we're blaming pot, when maybe we should be blaming personalities) how is that evidence of addiction?

How would it be more reasonable to blame personalities? And yes, I am blaming pot.

It's really both.
The people i've known who have had frequent use were smoking because it's what they needed at the time to relieve stress or to have a more enjoyable day. But they smoked frequently because their personalities didn't cause them to dislike the habit.
The pot is to blame becuase of it's effects making it useful and desireable and detrimental after affects.
Every one of them is slower, generally a little less intelligent and have slight memory problems which weren't there before they started smoking. Though a lot can happen in the years which they smoked, it would have contributed to some of this.

And change the damn poll so you know what it's asking.

[/quote] I had a roommate who occasionally smoked, and I could never really get over the smell.[/quote]

Ive smoked it twice and not really enjoyed it but i love the smell, its a kinda like a insent stick but with a little tang maby its just association with happy times. And im not sure about the addiction thing, physically no but i have freinds who smoked it alot and they still do and yes many of them went down hill but i think its not the pot its the people you have to associate with to get pot or the mind set you have to be in for it to become habit (rebeilous)

Generally no, but it depends on who's using it. Some people just get addicted to anything if it's in their daily routine or have to have a toke before going to class or work or something.

I'm gunna leave it there because anyone that's seen one of my many walls of text-based rants about weed will know I can go on for some time.

Its addictive to some and not to others.

Like everything really.

no if something is addictive its addictive your body forms a need for it its not choice i.e. you form a need for caffine and if you dont have it your body doesnt function the same

a7r0p05:

runtheplacered:

a7r0p05:
Yes.
I have seen multiple people that I was very close friends with have their lives completely go to the shithouse soon after they started to smoke it.

Even if that's true, which I'd love to hear the tale of how that could have happened (I have a feeling we're blaming pot, when maybe we should be blaming personalities) how is that evidence of addiction?

How would it be more reasonable to blame personalities? And yes, I am blaming pot.

Because it's easy to blame a drug than to admit that your close friends might be weak-minded/morons. I'm guessing that they started when they were teens. Marijuana, like most drugs, shouldn't be used while the mind is still developing.
I'll just throw a Hicks quote in here, just for fun(paraphrased).
"Marijuana makes you lazy. Lie. You can do everything high that you would normally, you just realise that there's no point. 'Sure, I could get up at dawn, go to a dead end job that doesn't inspire me creatively whatsoever.. or I can get up at noon and learn to play the sitar." -Bill Hicks

a7r0p05:

runtheplacered:

a7r0p05:
Yes.
I have seen multiple people that I was very close friends with have their lives completely go to the shithouse soon after they started to smoke it.

Even if that's true, which I'd love to hear the tale of how that could have happened (I have a feeling we're blaming pot, when maybe we should be blaming personalities) how is that evidence of addiction?

How would it be more reasonable to blame personalities? And yes, I am blaming pot.

Your asking me why I'd rather blame the personality of said human being rather then pot for their behavior? I'm not even sure that deserves an answer. It sounds like a smartass comment to me.

EDIT - Alright, I felt bad and have to say more. Maybe you really aren't putting things together and really are that naive.

We've already discussed how marijuana is not addictive. So, if your friends lives were really in the "shithouse" from it, they could have easily stopped at any point in time, if they had the "personality" to look at themselves and notice their situation. But, apparently they didn't.

Now, there's no chance marijuana ruined their lives. Or anyone elses. I'm sorry, but the drug just doesn't work that way. It doesn't make you beat your wife. It doesn't make you sell your appliances for "just another couple tokes". It doesn't even make you drive into telephone polls or miss work from a hangover.

You can go ahead and blame pot if you want to. But that doesn't automatically make it reality just because you believe something. In fact, you sound a whole lot like the 1936 movie Reefer Madness. Personally, I could care less about your anecdotal evidence. I have science on my side. You have some random story that you have yet to actually explain.

Now with all of that said, why did you ignore my question about what your claim has to do with addiction? I was counting on you to answer that question.

no, it's not addictive in the same way as cigeretts, more in the way that people can become addicted to games, the internet, or TV.

p.s. I accidentaly hit yes.

Probably, but I have heard from users that it is more psychologically rather than physically addictive. It is stupid, however.

Yeah I'm pretty sure it is, if I had to go even a day without it I'd snap.

It depends on what kind of addiction you are talking about. I voted yes because it can be very mentally addictive. Physically it is not addictive at all. I have known some people to be very mentally addicted to it. But then people can be mentally addicted to food, sex, ect. So in the end I guess it could be seen as the person and not the drug. But the effects were the same. They really needed their weed.

I stay away from that stuff.

Your poll wasn't clear enough. Are you asking only if it's addictive, or if it should be allowed?

It's not physically addictive, and I don't think that you'd find a doctor anywhere in the western world who would tell you that it is. On the otherhand, I do believe that certain people can become mentally addicted to it.

For myself, it's been a almost a year since I last smoked, I don't feel physically ill, I don't feel like I need to have it, so at least for me, it's not addictive. Also, I wouldn't confuse addiction with wanting to smoke it. Believe you me, the job hunt I've been on this past year has been brutal, and all I want to do is smoke a J, but I'm smart enough to know that I need a new job before I can participate in any extracuricular activities :)

Anyone can become addicted to practically anything if they're in the right frame of mind. Pot, however, is much better than cigarettes or hard drugs.

I think it's addictive, sure. I've argued with people I know, who 100% absolutely deny that it is. The second I say "it's the high thats addictive, the feeling", they say "well ya, sure, of course it is. BUT THE DRUG ITSELF ISN'T".

So ya, I'd say it's addictive*.

*Note: I haven't done the stuff in a long time, and wouldn't say I was ever addicted, but I certainly know people who I would contend are...