>

I said it is medicine
Depends on the stoner. You can consume alcohol without being an alcoholic, you can consume cannabis without being addicted to it as well. 
But there are stoners that can't function without it, and end up getting so high they can't function on it either, and they should realize they have a problem and seek help. >

The difference is someone who casually uses doesn't identify themselves as a stoner. The same way someone who enjoys the occasional drink doesn't identify themselves as an alcoholic. >

I think people need to agree what constitutes “addictive”. >

It's literally a scientific term >

People deny Marijuana addiction, which is ridiculous.
Its not really taken seriously. >

Same boat. We dont do because it sucks not to >

Dude, you can’t even admit you’re addicted to booze and caffeine. You “can overindulge”. How many rounds of mental gymnastics did it take to come up with that one? 😂 >

That’s my favorite part of the post. Whether intentionally or not, OP literally fails to not be a hypocrite in the FIRST sentence lol >

I think people need to agree what constitutes “addictive”.
Because too often, the same people will argue that coffee is addictive and alcohol is addictive, but marijuana isn’t because “it doesn’t have nicotine!”
If it releases dopamine in your brain, it can be addictive.  Caffeine isn’t an “addictive” chemical, but you can get addicted to the dopamine release.  Same with alcohol.
And absolutely definitely the same with marijuana.  You can argue that there aren’t any addictive chemicals in it, but you still get addicted to the dopamine release and the other pleasant effects from its use. >

There technically isn’t an addictive chemical in it however, what’s addictive is the fact that after smoking weed so long, when you try to stop you will have withdrawals just like any other drug someone is addicted too. I smoke daily, and probably less then the majority of daily smokers (I buy 7 grams and it usually last me 2 months), but I know I’m addicted to it cause I have a really hard time not smoking. >

There’s no addictive chemicals in it because the addictive chemical is the dopamine release that smoking triggers. Once you understand the psychology and physiology behind addiction, you start to realize a whole bunch of addictive habits hiding in everyday life >

This >

Physically not addictive. Psychologically, absolutely. People don’t realize how strongly they reinforce the habits until they have to change. You can look at Josh Gordon’s NFL career as an example >

This!!, im a smoker but can go cold turkey in a heartbeat, but I remember a time where I was addicted psychologically. My mental health was all over the place at that time and I felt that weed was my only escape. It all depends on the person and their circumstances. >

Yeah I smoke every night and thoroughly enjoy getting out of my headspace. But when it’s not available (like when I travel) it’s not even a thought. But home it’s like “I could do this stoned at it would feel better” >

Exactly, I travel a fair bit around the country and wouldn't dare taking weed with me on a train. I have been smoking for near on 15 years on and off and other than that one rough patch, I never felt dependant on it. I just smoke it every night because I wanna feel relaxed, not because I have to feel it. >

I don't know about addiction, but I'm certainly tired of this:
"I can come in high and it not affect my work. It'S mY PreRoGAtIvE, mAn." - guy who has someone quietly going behind him and fixing his fuck ups
Not a moral judgement here. Life sucks. Get high, get drunk, whatever. But holy shit, have these WeEd hAs nO nEgAtIvE SiDe EfFeCts people ever met/been friends with/had to work with a burn out?
Someone who tells the same story 3 times within a 45 minute span is not firing on all cylinders. >

I work in the cannabis industry........yea.......most of our employees are terrible. HR is constantly posting notices about points, UTO requests being denied if you are below X number of hours for the week, limiting payroll forwards, and wearing appropriate PPE as mandated. These people pitch an absolute fit if they have to walk an extra 10 ft let alone wear a face mask while handling product. Turnover is extremely high from people just being constantly late or calling in >

Stoner culture also is annoying as hell. Weed is ok but I know many stoners who treat like it's the best fucking thing in the universe and all their lives revolve around it to the point they can't enjoy anything without the fucking plant. But hey it's not addictive, it's just a mental thing and blabla. Really, I have done it a few times and it was just fine and fun but nowhere as mindblowing as many potheads make it out to be. >

I met Tommy Chong years ago, cool guy, but stoner culture peaked with him >

Eh sometimes but not always. I’ll smoke everyday for months then randomly stop for months. That isn’t addiction. >

Same boat. We dont do because it sucks not to... We do it because its better. >

Exactly! Also weird for OP to throw in the “I find it a turn off when a girl smokes” like okay so don’t date stoners? I promise us stoner girlies will survive without dating you🤣 >

Hes in love with a stoner chick but she prefers bong rips. >

You can form a dependency on weed for sure. Not an addiction in the same way alcohol and cigarettes are a physical addiction. But a dependency that hurts your everyday life. 
I see many people using a variety of mental and physical ailments to explain their consistent weed usage. And that's fine. In general it's not my place to judge. But it is often self diagnosed and self medicated. Which means you could ultimately be using it as a crutch rather than medicinally. The studies behind weed usage in certain disorders is also under studied. 
In the end, I think it is the lesser of all drug evils, and if it helps you function, go for it. But I have known many people (one being my ex) who claimed it was for mental health, but who made zero progress in their mental health journey while unemployed, smoking all day, playing video games, and blowing $300 of my money on weed a month. You can't just self medicate and call it helpful. You also need to recognize that all substances like week can be, at the bare minimum, dependency inducing and potentially addictive. >

Wait, so are you “overindulging” in booze or are you addicted to it? >

That’s not necessarily an addiction. I have friends who will get drunk 1 or 2 nights a month but won’t really touch it the rest of the month unless it’s 1 drink out a dinner. No doctor is going to label them an alcoholic but they definitely overindulge from time to time. >

He literally said he “drinks booze like there’s no tomorrow” >

Idk what he meant by that, all I’m saying is being an alcoholic doesn’t mean someone overindulges a couple nights a month. Same goes for weed. To be an addict often more frequent use is involved and it often has a detrimental impact on someone’s life. 
In my opinion not every weed smoker or person who drinks is an addict. However, there are people out there who have serious problems. Not everyone reacts the same way or has the same habits. >

I agree mostly with what you’re saying (not necessarily that someone’s life needs to be negatively impacted for someone to be addicted to something, that’s just usually when the person comes to terms with admitting the addiction)
All that said, OP didn’t specify “like no tomorrow, a few times a month”, so taking him at his word, he himself is playing a semantics game, just like people who wrongly dismiss being dependent on weed for “I just like it a lot, but I’m not addicted”
This is coming from someone who absolutely is addicted to weed so I’m not demonizing it, just pointing out that the otherizing of “stoners” specifically playing games about what to all their consumption should be called happens with almost any addiction. Humans can and do justify all sorts of addictions not limited to weed (or booze or coffee) >

Yeah I actually agree. I think when it comes to saying things like “weed is addictive” “if you drink too much your an alcoholic” you have to be more specific. 
Not every weed smoker and drinker has a problem indicative of addiction. However, I think theirs this narrative particularly surrounding weed that it is a harmless natural substance. Which erases the thousands out there who have a real problem with weed. This is coming from someone who will share a joint a couple times a month. 
That being said, millions can drink booze, smoke weed and drink caffeine casually and not develop an addiction. It’s not necessarily the fault of the substance, it’s the way certain people react to it and abuse it that makes it a problem. 
Not every weed smoker is an addict and not every person who smokes weed isn’t addicted. >

As someone that has both spent like 15 years smoking weed and about 10 years struggling with opiate addiction, it honestly drives me nuts when people call regular cannabis use an addiction.
I quit smoking weed like 5 years ago because it was making me too lazy and eating too many munchies. I didn't even make a conscious effort to quit, just stopped one day and barely even cared. Meanwhile, opiate addiction is a physical illness that's debilitating.
Cannabis use creates a slight psychological addiction that can be troublesome for a select few that really can't be responsible, but it's a personality problem from within, and very little to do with cannabis itself. >

OP thats not an unpopular opinion, medically weed isnt addictive outside of SOME people who cant control the psychological urge >

Live in an area where there's a dispensary every few blocks, so I'm not sure >

well i live in europe at the dutch border where its been free to do even for tourists for my entire life >

I smoke everyday I work. I don't need to, I take a tolerance break of a week once a month. If I couldn't get it anymore, I could stop cold turkey with no "withdrawl" symptoms. Hell, my anti depressants were more physically addictive than pot. When I don't smoke, I don't crave it or need it. Could you call it an addiction? Yeah  technically.  But it's not physically addictive for me. >

I’ve seen people become physically addicted, however they likely smoked a whole lot more than you a day. I know a guy who smoked 10-15 bong hits a day who had physical withdrawals he had to be put into rehab for. It takes a lot to become physically addicted and it’s a lot less addictive than other drugs but it’s not impossible. >

Unpopular. Upvoted >

SO stoners have an addiction, but you just overindulge? >

how bout just let them decide for themselves? >

!!! >

I love it but need to reduce to twice a month, with greater frequency I feel dependency taking up pretty quickly. I’m a recovering drinker, so I just think I’m susceptible to addictive behavior >

It’s undeniable at this point, there’s even physical withdrawal symptoms that chronic users experience. Its a recognised addictive substance at almost all rehab centres. >

Lmao lord, tell me you're an alcoholic looking to downplay your problem without tell me you are. >

you actually can't admit you're an alcoholic. by saying you "overindulge" you're being hypocritical. that's just a sugarcoated way of saying you're an alcoholic >

I am one, not denying it at all. A stoner rarely admits it. >

We all have addiction. We need to know when to limit ourselves. We humans can easily be addicted to many or a fees things. Stan and Satan from South Park give us a good example of this. I have 3 packages of rockstar from Costco under my bed. 10 pounds of Peet’s coffee in my kitchen. >

It’s not an addictive substance. I just stopped smoking several weeks ago, I have no physical symptoms of withdrawals or desire to go get more to smoke. It’s completely different from nicotine, alcohol, or other hard drugs like heroin, where you go through intense withdrawals just a day or two after stopping. So marijuana is no different from, say, sugar, or video games, or gambling. Even love can be addictive. Everything can. The distinction people are making is from actual physical addiction. >

Round 12 of mental gymnastics >

Why does it matter whether someone admits they have an addiction with weed or not?
Is this supposed to trigger an introspection and begin the process of weening themselves off it? Are you doing something about your booze addiction? >

I don't drive drunk and i don't go to work drunk. >

So, if these stoners are travelling to work intoxicated, while behind the wheel, then why isn't HR informing the police, for putting other road users at risk?
Just tell them what they are doing is illegal and their work is sloppy. No need for a conversation whereby you need to prove they have an addiction problem. They can hopefully figure that out for themselves if things are in jeopardy. >

It completely depends on the person. Some people have addictive personalities because it runs in their genetics. Though other people can just smoke because it's either for fun, or to help with some sort of medical ailment. 
Don't go pointing fingers at weed though. The amount of people I've met in my lifetime who will just tell me "They're just having fun!" while slamming 15 shots and ten beers in a couple hours is fucking sad. Alcoholics are judt as guilty as us who are smoking pot >

Lmao, the only difference here is one substance is illegal and the others are not. Your opinion about weed sounds like you got it from the government, specifically Nixon.
Drug classism is dumb, the government made certain drugs legal or illegal arbitrarily. >

Live in California, legal here, if anything legalization actually gentrified cannabis. Cheaper when it was medicinal. >

Smoked all day non stop for 6 years, was having trouble getting pregnant so I quit cold turkey, got pregnant @ 2 months sober. Total of 13 months no weed. No weird effects. 2 months after baby was born I started smoking again and back to all day smoking (outside).