Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug worldwide. It is a dry, shredded green and brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves derived from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The main active chemical in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; THC for short.

How is Marijuana Abused?
Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (joint) or in a pipe. It is also smoked in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana. Since the blunt retains the tobacco leaf used to wrap the cigar, this mode of delivery combines marijuana’s active ingredients with nicotine and other harmful chemicals. Marijuana can also be mixed in food or brewed as a tea. As a more concentrated, resinous form it is called hashish, and as a sticky black liquid, hash oil. Marijuana smoke has a pungent and distinctive, usually sweet-and-sour, odour.

Marijuana Addiction
Marijuana addiction has clear signs and indicators and this page will discuss this in depth. Marijuana addiction is simply an uncontrollable urge to possess and use the drug. Those with marijuana addictions are not able to stop using the drug even if they wish. Often a person with a marijuana addiction will make continuous excuses about why now is not a good time to stop using the drug. Such people are not alone. Marijuana addiction is a disease that affects millions of people every year.

Admission to rehabilitation facilities has doubled for marijuana addiction. The potency of the drug continues to get more powerful and studies show that teens can get a hold of marijuana often easier than they can alcohol. Even those who seek treatment for drugs that are perceived as “harder” like heroin or cocaine, will often acknowledge that marijuana is their primary drug of choice.

Marijuana or Dagga addiction has the same characteristics as any other drug addiction including alcohol, tobacco or even caffeine. Addicts think about the drug all the time. Where to get it, when to get it, is there enough, is it good enough, will I have the money for more, are frequently asked questions. Another trait of marijuana addiction is the physical craving that comes when the body adapts to the drug and begins to develop a tolerance to it. Anyone who has been smoking marijuana for a while can tell that they must smoke more now to feel the same effect that just a few hits used to produce. It’s not about the quality of the weed, it’s the body’s defense mechanism as it readjusts to keep balance with the frequent supply of new chemicals it receives.

Consequences of marijuana addiction start to take toll when the user continues to use marijuana even in the event of health or social consequences. Memory and learning problems may be causing problems at work or even result in losing a job because of high absenteeism. Increasing isolation from friends and family often puts heavy strain on relationships with loved ones. There is a vicious cycle to marijuana addiction in which these problems are often used as rational to smoke even more pot. A trap that many fall into is that the drug that is causing the problem becomes the solution to the problem it caused.

Identifying Suspected Marijuana Abuse

Drug Addict Physical Appearance

• Irritated, bloodshot, red eyes
• Dazed or expressionless appearance
• Dry lips or “cotton mouth”
• Strong odor of burnt rope or grass on person or clothes.

Drug Addict Mannerisms or Behaviour

• Walking around in a daze or euphoric stupor
• Lack of emotion, “whatever” attitude
• Staring out into space or at nothing
• May go into fits of laughter or laugh when there is nothing to laugh about.
• Putting clothes in wash immediately upon coming home
• Taking a quick shower before being around other
• Suddenly very hungry – “munchies”.

Drug Addict items around or hidden in the house, bedroom, etc.

• Rolling papers
• “Blunt” cigars
• Bongs
• Larger bags with leafy residue or seeds in them
• Small or “designer” pipes

Marijuana users who have taken high doses of the drug may experience acute toxic psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and depersonalization – a loss of the sense of personal identity or self-recognition. Although the specific causes of these symptoms remain unknown, they appear to occur more frequently when a high dose of cannabis is consumed in food or drink rather than smoked.

Marijuana has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. It also produces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form, levels that may accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the lungs’ exposure to carcinogenic smoke. These facts suggest that, puff for puff, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of cancer more than smoking tobacco does.

Getting Help
Marijuana addiction must be treated like the disease it is. The Harmony Group of treatment centres has been helping people overcome marijuana addiction for over 7 years. Providing a specialised combination of medical treatment and behavioural therapy has seen a high success rate of recovery for marijuana abusers. If you or a loved one needs help, contact us today! 0861 695 9067