Marijuana is widely thought to be less harmful than other drugs, mostly because people incorrectly believe that it is not addictive. But guess what – more than 100,000 Americans a year seek out drug treatment specifically because of their dependence on marijuana.

Physical vs. psychological addiction: Use of any drug can lead to dependence — marijuana too! People always seem relieved to hear that a substance "just" leads to psychological dependence, or has only minimal physical withdrawal symptoms.

But the fact is, addiction experts today no longer distinguish between psychological and physical depen-dence. What matters is whether or not a drug causes un-controllable, compulsive drug seeking and use, even in the face of negative health and social con-sequences. This "drug hunger" at the core of all addiction is much more difficult to control than physical symptoms, many of which can be medically managed.

“Jonesing”: Craving for marijuana doesn’t look like craving for other drugs. But just because a user doesn’t resort to violence doesn’t make it any less real. It is more subtle, but no less destructive.

Effects of addiction: At first, it can be hard to detect the effects of marijuana use on a person’s life. But with continued use, the drug starts to take on a special importance. Many long-time users report that after a while, their use of marijuana started to undermine their emotional and psychological growth. It became harder for them to handle stress, and they lagged behind their peers in terms of emotional maturity.

Withdrawal: Members of Marijuana Anonymous say that by far, their most common experience when stopping use was insomnia, sometimes lasting as long as a few months. Other common symptoms included depression, nightmares, and vivid dreams. Anger is also common for people who are cutting marijuana out of their life. For some, this plays out as a slow-burning rage. Others report feeling constantly irritable or prone to sudden bursts of anger.