The question about whether or not marijuana is addictive really gets people debating. Users say no. Some doctors say yes. Other doctors say yes and no.

Why the confusion? Addiction is measured by comparing someone’s behavior to the criteria in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV).

First, a person must show “a destructive pattern of (drug) use.” Their drug use must lead to “significant social, occupational, or medical impairment.” In other words, they need to have suffered losses in their in relationships, job or school performance, or medical health because of the drug.

Next, doctors say that someone who is addicted also must show at least three of the following signs within any 12-month period:

• Tolerance: The person either needs much more of the drug to feel “high” or feels less and less high when taking the usual amount.
  

• Withdrawal: The person has uncomfortable and upsetting physical and emotional symptoms when he or she goes without the drug. Or the person uses the drug or a similar one to keep from having withdrawal symptoms.
  

• Loss of control: The uses more of the drug or uses if for a longer period of time than he or she meant to do. The person cannot cut down or even limit the amount of drug use, even though he or she really wants to.
  

• Preoccupation: The person spends a large amount of time thinking about, getting, or using the drug, or recovering from hangovers
  

• Reduced activity: The person gives up relationships, job or school responsibilities, or sports and activities in order to keep up drug use.
  

• Continued use despite problems: The person keeps on using the drug, even though he or she know it has caused serious problems in his or her life.

People who claim that marijuana is not addictive focus mostly on one of these symptoms: withdrawal. They usually say that marijuana users who quit the drug don’t have withdrawal symptoms. That means, they say, that marijuana is not physically addictive.

Scientists do not agree on this issue. Some say that marijuana is not physically addictive, but that it is “psychologically” addictive. Others keep doing research to prove that marijuana is physically addictive.

Following are summaries of two scientific studies sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The studies seem to suggest that marijuana causes strong physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms. If more studies show similar results to these, that would suggest that marijuana is physically addictive.

Studies »

After you read the studies, be sure to click to read : “Not Physically Addictive?”