General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Who will say, “I just want to smoke it”? [View all]RainDog
(28,784 posts)that's not the same as physical addiction.
the truth remains that marijuana is less physically addictive than coffee and many other legal substances. the fact is that THC metabolizes within fat cells and is slowly released isn't indicative of its harmful qualities.
I don't doubt that you know someone who has a dependence on a substance - but this is the exception rather than the rule for marijuana. The stats for addiction are far below those of any other illegal substance, as well as some legal ones.
I'm sorry for your friend, but the reality is that marijuana does not display the same addictive quality as many other substances that are currently legal. If marijuana were legal, your friend could go to the public library and attend meetings to help with such an addiction - actually, your friend could do that now, too.
In either case, I learned long ago that a rehabilitative rather than punishment model is the way to go to help others with problems.