Some experts believe that many people can use cannabis without significant negative consequences — not unlike enjoying occasional alcoholic drinks. But Montgomery County Prevention Coalition manager Colleen Oakes said the idea that cannabis can’t be addictive is a myth.
“Cannabis use disorder is a real substance use challenge that we need to take seriously,” Oakes said. “When we say it’s not addicting, we’re discounting people who are experiencing this challenge every year, and we’re discounting the struggles that they’re going through and the support they need.”
Research suggests that 9-30% of those who use marijuana may develop some degree of marijuana use disorder. Substance use disorders are medical illnesses where people are unable to stop using a substance even though that substance is causing health and social problems in their lives. Severe substance use disorders are also known as addiction.
People who begin using marijuana before age 18 are four to seven times more likely than adults to develop a marijuana use disorder, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
Christine Murray, a licensed social worker and behavioral health therapist at Dayton Children’s Hospital, said cannabis use has a particular impact on developing minds, particularly among people under the age of 25.
“There’s never been such a substance that has such a difference in what the scientists know and believe about that substance and what the community knows and believes about that substance,” she said. “We’re seeing more adults and kids addicted to marijuana.”
Murray said cannabis today is cultivated for higher percentages of THC — the main psychoactive component of the plant — than the marijuana of yesteryear.
Murray said consumers should consider the impact of cannabis on dopamine production. Dopamine is also known as the “happy” chemical, and cannabis use can initially cause elevated levels of dopamine in the brain.
“Anything that affects the dopamine levels, the pleasure center in the brain, to such a degree that the body wants it again … that’s one way addiction can be developed,” she said.
Ohio’s adult-use program allows many adults 21 and over to legally purchase and use marijuana. The state’s medical program has been active, too, for several years.
Dr. Heather Samuelson, a physician who guides patients through their cannabis options through a company called DocMJ, said she often hears concerns from patients about cannabis and addiction.
She said although cannabis provides some benefits to patients seeking pain management and other remedies, she does not recommend cannabis to every patient and closely monitors patients who are using cannabis for symptoms of abuse.
If a physician notices a medical marijuana patient’s tolerance is building up, for example, that doctor could recommend a break from marijuana use, a different strain of cannabis or a lower dose product, Samuelson said.
Oakes said resources exist locally for people who may fear they or a loved one may have a cannabis substance use disorder. This includes both treatment professionals and also the Safe Homes program, which helps families build healthy strategies to guide conversations about life choices.
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