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Marijuana Online Resource
 MarijuanaOnline.org (Marijuana Online dot
org), is an online resource for individuals
seeking information for either addiction to
marijuana or a better understanding of its
adverse effects.
The latest
information from the Office of Applied
Studies of SAMHSA (Substance Abuse & Mental
Health Services Administration)
indicates that statistics for marijuana
continue to worsen.
In 2006,
there were 2.1 million persons who had used
marijuana for the first time within the past
12 months; this averages to approximately
6,000 initiates per day.5
Most (63.3 percent) of the 2.1 million
recent marijuana initiates were younger than
age 18 when they first used. Among youths
aged 12 to 17, an estimated 4.7 percent had
used marijuana for the first time within the
past year.
A drug is addicting if it causes compulsive,
often uncontrollable drug craving, seeking,
and use, even in the face of negative health
and social consequences. Marijuana meets
this criterion. More than 120,000 people
seek treatment per year for their primary
marijuana addiction. In addition, animal
studies suggest marijuana causes physical
dependence, and some people report
withdrawal symptoms. 1
 Long-term
marijuana abuse can lead to addiction; that
is, compulsive drug seeking and abuse
despite its known harmful effects upon
social functioning in the context of family,
school, work, and recreational activities.
Long-term marijuana abusers trying to quit
report irritability, sleeplessness,
decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug
craving, all of which make it difficult to
quit. These withdrawal symptoms begin within
about 1 day following abstinence, peak at
2–3 days, and subside within 1 or 2 weeks
following drug cessation. 2 |
