Originally Posted @ http://www.newbridgerecovery.com/marijuana-harmless-addictive/ 

Recreational and medicinal usage of marijuana has increased in the last decade, sparking a debate about the dangers and risks of cannabis. Advocates for legalization of marijuana claim that weed is non-addictive and different from drugs like cocaine or heroin, which have high risks for chemical dependency. Antagonists claim that marijuana is potentially mentally and emotionally addicting, citing long-term cognitive and developmental problems brought on by habitual usage. The various opinions over cannabis differ greatly. Potheads call it a “wonder drug” and point to alcohol as the real problem. Radically conservative thinkers claim marijuana only makes a person lazy, promotes crime, and leads to harder drug use. The truth about marijuana lies somewhere in-between these two polar opposite outlooks.

Marijuana en Masse

Not everyone who smokes marijuana becomes addicted. Just like alcohol, the majority of the population can use cannabis non-addictively. Drugs like opioids and cocaine can create a strong chemical and physical dependence in habitual users. Marijuana does not have many of these properties and physical withdrawal symptoms are mild. In this way, weed isn’t as addictive in the traditional sense.

However, the belief that marijuana is completely non-addictive is also a myth. While most people who experiment with pot do not become addicted, there is no denying that hundreds of thousands of people do become addicted. Similar to alcoholism or a food addiction, marijuana addiction seems to arise in a certain minority of the population and presents itself in various degrees of severity. Why does marijuana present a  risk of addiction to certain people?