I didn't think I could get addicted to weed (theguardian.com)

people think you can't get addicted to weed? What do they think potheads were

This is so tired of an argument

Anyone can get behaviorally addicted to anything. Refined Sugar is currently the #1 drug in the world and people are dying and sick from it but nobody cares because people equivocate “sugar” from fresh mango and a nerds rope as the same

Addiction to cocaine alcohol or opiates are both behavioral and induce biological/chemical dependency

This is exactly the equivocation you see in practice:

“ Those withdrawing from heavy usage will experience a sharp decrease in dopamine release, which might encourage continued use. Studies have shown the risk of developing CUD is greater for those who start using before the age of 25, as Amy did, and for those who use heavily or have pre-existing mental health issues or genetic predispositions to developing addiction.”

Ironically legalization has done more to reduce weeds popularity than any ad campaign. The old-school California medical system was honestly much better than what we see now though. Rather than moving marijuana to an alcohol type model, I wish they had moved alcohol to a medical marijuana one instead. Quick doctors appointment every 6-12 months on an opt in basis - just a check up to make sure you are partaking responsibly. America loves to make things a binary; all or nothing.

There’s a guy from my parent’s generation who smoked. A lot. Extremely decent guy, one of the reasons I made it through my own childhood in one piece. He’s been clean for ten years. He tells me he can barely remember a 20 year stretch of his life.

Great guy, but not an advert for cannabis use.

Smoked a lot when I was younger, eventually decided that sitting around stoned was pretty boring, so I quit.

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It's a psychological addition of being stoned and slightly detached from reality - no different to people munching pills every weekend at a rave or drinking enough to be tipsy (or wasted, if that's your thing)

It's escapism, pure and simple.

"As with other drugs, some people can be casual dabblers; other people, well, can’t." I think this is true. Unfortunately people (this article included) tend to talk about it as purely benign or unmitigated poison. I think the reality is that the dose, the frequency, and the role it plays in someone's life make it a positive or a negative. I wish we could get out of the hyperbole to be honest about the pros and cons.

I hate this narrative and hope people who push it have to be sober 24/7 for the rest of their lives. People will take this and use it to harass others with real world consequences. I used to respect The Guardian until it became a platform for Reddit journalism. Its now the favorite for conservative liberals.