Marijuana News: Does Cannabis Really Cause People To Be Drug Dependent?

Marijuana the most controversial plant has been investigated by experts. People claimed that cannabis helps them with their health, but some do not believe that it could help. Now, the question is does marijuana cause addictive behavior? A new study was conducted.

 Dr. Tom Freeman from the University College London, UK, presented a new data at the International Early Psychosis Association (IEPA) meeting in Milan, Italy. It shows that an increased risk of people being marijuana dependent is because of the high-potency cannabis.

Each year an estimate of 182 million people are using marijuana worldwide. With this given number, the possibility of legalization for recreational and medical use increases. Over 9% of people who tried cannabis becomes independent at some point in their lives. As for the people who are already cannabis dependent, they are often having a hard time to cut down or quit; despite the harmful effects.

Researchers found that some people are more exposed to the marijuana's harmful effects compared to others. There are a number of factors that influence people to be cannabis dependent. For example, male, being younger, and mixing tobacco with marijuana. Another factor could be is marijuana potency, according to Medical Xpress.  

Marijuana plant produces over 100 different chemicals. The two most common are the THC and the CBD. The delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol or THC and cannabidiol or CBD can cause the opposite effects on the behavior and brain. In the last decade, the illegal marijuana market has been dominated by high-potency cannabis, in which it contains high THC and no CBD. The possibility of the high THC found in marijuana, cause people to receive professional treatment for cannabis problem.

In the new study, 400 young marijuana users in the UK were studied by Dr. Freeman. The ages of the participants are between 16 to 23 years old and 70% of them are male. Among the 400 volunteers, 43% prefers high-potency marijuana and the experts found that they are also dependent, compared to the 22% that does not prefer high-potency cannabis, according to DNA India.

Dr. Freeman suggested that "The illicit cannabis market is dominated by high-potency cannabis containing high THC and no CBD. Our findings suggest that people who prefer this type cannabis are around twice as likely to show problematic use. The best way for people to reduce risk is to quit or cut down their use. If this is not possible, they should be encouraged to switch to low-potency cannabis."