{"id":10474,"date":"2025-12-12T16:21:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T16:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/?p=10474"},"modified":"2025-12-12T16:52:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T16:52:18","slug":"marijuana-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/marijuana-addiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Marijuana Addiction"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Marijuana addiction, or cannabis use disorder (CUD), is a complex mental health condition that involves a problematic pattern of cannabis use.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cannabis refers to all products that come from the\u00a0<\/span>Cannabis sativa<\/span><\/i>\u00a0plant. This includes its dried flowers, leaves, stems, and seeds.\u00a0The plant itself\u00a0contains\u00a0over 500 chemical substances.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cannabis use disorder\u00a0mainly involves\u00a0THC-containing substances, such as marijuana.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Marijuana is part of, or products from, the <\/span>Cannabis sativa<\/span><\/i> plant that\u00a0contain\u00a0substantial\u00a0amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the chemical that creates the \u201chigh\u201d feeling.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CUD is a spectrum, which can be mild, moderate, or severe, typically involving an overpowering desire to use cannabis, increased tolerance to cannabis, and\/or withdrawal symptoms when it is stopped being taken.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CUD can significantly\u00a0impact\u00a0a person\u2019s health, relationships, and overall quality of life.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cannabis use disorder can be mild or moderate, with the most severe form being marijuana addiction. This is due to continued marijuana use despite negative consequences. Marijuana addiction occurs when the reward system in the brain takes over, increasing compulsive marijuana-seeking.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CUD is common. Researchers in 2021 estimated that 5.8%, or about 16.3 million people, in the U.S. 12 years or older have a cannabis use disorder in the previous 12 months.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the American Psychiatric Association\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(DSM-5), the signs of cannabis use disorder include:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n