Law & Politics

Cannabidiol Pushed as Cure for Cannabis "Addiction", Source: http://www.hempforfuture.com/assets/uploads/2014/10/cannabinol.jpgWhen I first saw a headline talking about using some new drug to help cannabis addicts kick the habit, I scoffed loudly. When I read the article, I scoffed, but mostly inwardly.

Some scientists in the UK believe that cannabidiol is an effective treatment to help with cannabis withdrawals. I know I’m oversimplifying the process, but it boils down to treating cannabis addiction with, well, cannabis.

To be honest, I’m having hard time even typing the words “cannabis addiction” and “cannabis withdrawal.” I don’t mean to minimize anyone’s struggle or marginalize anyone who is legitimately looking for help changing their lives in a way that they perceive will make them happier. If using cannabis isn’t something you want to do and, for some odd reason, you can’t just stop smoking it, then I do want you to get some help.

However, I feel like many out there are trying really, really hard to put cannabis on par with serious drug and alcohol addiction. There is a reason that the term “habit-forming” is nearly always tossed in the mix when talking about cannabis addiction. Let’s be honest, the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal are many times worse than is reported with cannabis. The absolute worst symptoms that I have ever heard associated with cannabis are irritability and insomnia. That isn’t to say that those aren’t legitimate issues, but to even attempt to put cannabis in the same realm as heroin, alcohol, cocaine, or cigarettes is borderline insulting.

I’ve referenced it before, but that comical scene from Half-Baked really captures this sentiment well. In the scene, Dave Chappelle’s character stands up at a NarcAnon meeting and says he’s addicted to cannabis. This generates a lot of ire from the other addicts in the room, most notably a man played by Bob Saget who rises to his feet and says to Chappelle, “Have you ever sucked d#&k for weed?”

I think this push to equalize cannabis with other serious drugs on the addiction scale is a thinly veiled attempt at sneaking pharmaceuticals into the cannabis space. As one of the scientists stated, “Cannabis dependence is a huge unmet need with no pharmacological treatments. It is vital that we get one.” What possible reason would a capitalist society have to get involved in cannabis treatments that you can patent? It rhymes with sunny, funny, and bunny.

The story states,”There is no universal definition of addiction or dependence. Someone is usually deemed to be addicted to a drug if they want to stop but cannot, or if it has a negative impact on their life.” This points back to the truth of why the addiction numbers are so low for cannabis — it’s pretty damn easy toPeddling  stop using weed and the negative impacts are minimal at best. I know there are exceptions to that rule, but they are few and far between.