I find this EXTREMELY INTERESTING! Now,my only thing is, WHAT NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS!? Dry mouth, and appitite stimulation! OH, you were talking about the EXTERNAL side effects... E.G. Being ARRESTED and JAILED just for consumption, or growing of a FLOWERING plant!? But no SERIOUSLY. This is good. The thing is, we STILL NEED marijuana to HELP other people get of of other MORE HARMFUL DRUGS!

Apparently your use of THC has caused brain damage and you are unable to use a keyboard.

1. The snide comment, that the pro-cannabis writer who used much capitalization is "unable to use a keyboard", is par for the course. Like women and blacks, cannabis users will have to exhibit superhuman discipline and correctness to "pass for normal". But SERIOUSLY folks, did you notice the reference by the NIDA director to "marijuana addiction"? The "ad" is in the diction. More fake "disease" for a fake "drug policy" to address. 2. Regarding NIDA, I understand that organization is in charge of furnishing "medical marijuana" to a small group of legal patients-- in the form of 900-mg. hot-burning cigarettes with weak cannabis inside. Could they entertain a suggestion? An e-cigarette-- with pure THC in the cartridge instead of nicotine-- could provide exactly measured dosages without carbon monoxide and other smoking-related toxins which are known to produce pathologies often conveniently blamed on the cannabis.

Marijuana dependence !thats the biggest lie i've heard come outta Big Pharma yet. There is no similairty between nicotine and opiate dependence with Marijuana use ,Marijuana is not addictive and the only people who don't know that are the ones who do not use nor have ever used it and believe everything the Goverment shoves down there throat. Open wide we have just the pill for you !

I have multiple sclerosis. I have been smoking marijuana daily for the last 3 years. I have seen no harm in the smoking but my disease has progressed very quickly. I do not know if my smoking contributed to that but am and have been concerned after reading all the negative comments speaking on its use.

I have been a drug and alcohol counselor for 24 years. In that time I have had Marijuana smokers come to me and tell me that they are addicted to Marijuana. I did not tell them, they told me. I did not seek them out, they sought me. Scientific based researched has shown that Marijuana is addictive. I believe the research especially when it is verified by the Marijuana user. I think that you are the one swallowing the wrong pill!

I have smoked Marijuana since I was in 6Th grade I am 45 now and I hold down a carpenters position. I'll smoke at night just before bed and that is it.Now if people say they get addicted to it it may be possible.You can get addicted to any thing Food,Alcohol,cigarettes,prescription meds,sex. If you are one of those people just don't do it! Its just that easy but don't start being a hater because other people can function and be civil after indulging in gods gift

I'm sorry but I find the statement referring to marijuana as God's gift ludicrous. You do realize that most addicts go through strong denial. There are a lot of things in this world that God created that are used and abused by people and not used in the way God intended. In my opinion, marijuana is one. Marijuana is addictive to some people and these people usually do not know who they are until it is too late. Marijuana has a lot of harmful effects other than addiction and as a medical person myself I would bet if you have been smoking marijuana on a daily basis for that long, your health is definitely affected. You are only 45. How will your health be when you are 65?

OPINION: To understand the addic- tive potential of drugs, one must know their impact upon sleep qual-ity and quantity. All drugs of ad-diction, including most psychiatric drugs, complicate sleep quality/ quantity, whence their potential of dependency and "withdrawal." "Marihuana dependency" most often depends upon the sleep quality BE-FORE beginning usage, to which the brain returns after marihuana is discontinued. Chronic pain is also closely related to sleep depriva-tion, often even BEFORE the pain syndrome began! Therefore we must understand a drug's effect upon the replenishment of needed SWS/ REM-Stage Sleep quality. Marihuana MAY improve the quality/quantity of sleep, thereby its subtle pain relieving potential. This needs to be researched carefully for us to fully understand its "addictabil-ity."

Drugs will always be a part of our culture, as in many other countries. We need to differentiate drugs - not by their legality, but by their level of addictiveness and lethal potential. Prescription pain killers (leading to Heroin) are now the leading cause of addiction and death over the illegal drugs such as Cocaine and Heroin. Our "legal" choices of drugs - alcohol and cigarettes, cause more deaths and disease than all others. Decriminalization of, and "medical marijuana" use must happen - the sooner the better. And don't tell me that a desperately needed bed in rehab should go to someone "addicted" to Marijuana, rather than to a HEROIN ADDICT WHO MIGHT DIE, while waiting for that bed! To "schedule" Heroin and Marijuana in the same drug class, is both LUDICROUS and DANGEROUS, and simply reflects the personal and religious bias, ignorance and bureaucratic BS regarding the drug laws in this country, while totally disregarding our human rights! Business and government can't "capitalize" on Marijuana, like they do with alcohol and cigarettes - and now the with the pain killers. Economics 101 = $$$ Read "Buzzed", (any edition) "Just say KNOW" - works for me!

Pot can be mentaly addictive yes ,so can doughnuts and big macs.But there is no phicial withdrawl as with opiates and amphetimines so to put it in the same class is insane ,it's a plant not a drug. Withdrawl symptoms are much worse from Nicotine and booze but those are acceptable ,Why ?Not one death from marijuana ever !you can't overdose yet over 400,000 people lose their lives to perscription drugs alcohoal and tobacco related complications every year ,there is no compairson so get off it

This is for Carl, with MS. My friend also has MS, and has tried - and gotten addicted to Methadone and other pain killers before turning to Marijuana for help. Coming off Methadone was the "worst thing he ever went through in his life, and it almost killed him"! And he was in the Special Forces in Nam, so he has experienced and seen some very horrific things in his life. My sister has breast cancer and suffers with nausea and weight loss from her chemo. Marijuana has helped her tremendously - better than any prescription meds. could ever - not even Marinol. Don't listen to all the rhetoric about this drug - it is the safest of all drugs used recreationally and there simply is NO scientific proof that this is an addictive drug, unless you believe that "restlessness, sleeplessness or nervousness" qualify as serious withdrawal symptoms! They sound more like my PMS symptoms, which I endure every month. A reality check here please!

There is nothing in this research that suggests anything about marijuana or THC. By inhibiting a chemical that breaks down a natural cannabinoid - anadamide (AEA). It is unfortunate the article linked THC with AEA, which is far less potent than THC and does not get us "high". The arguments for or against marijuana cannot be supported from this research.