Quote Originally Posted by THClord
I'd say the mental addictedness wears off after a couple days.
So, NO it's not addictive.


If you go on a break, once you're past the one week point you can go as far as you want even if people around you are smoking every day.
Good point THClord.. Admittedly you're fairly correct on a global basis, this seems to be the case. Still it is convenient to say it's not addictive because the "addiction" wears off ;-) Yes?

Quote Originally Posted by birdgirl73
My thinking on this has changed pretty significantly since I have had my pharmacology and neuro-psychopathology classes this year and last in med school. I've also heard several really world-class level physicians address this subject, one of them our dean at Southwestern, who's a Nobel Laureate for his groundbreaking g-protein research, which relates quite closely to cannabinoid receptors.

According to what they're teaching today in allopathic (regular M.D. training programs as opposed to osteopathic) medical schools, the cannabinoid, opiate and even nicotine receptor systems are very very closely intertwined in matters of pain, reward, and addiction. Those various drugs/substances act initially through their own receptors, but they eventually trigger a generalized reward system in the brain that can also be triggered by other drugs. So even if, in concept, cannabis isn't physically addictive, it can, in the right brain chemistry--most likely a brain that is genetically susceptible to addiction in the first place--trigger an addictive response. That's not behavioral, either. It's those opiate-cannabinoid-nicotine receptors and their reward system/response working together and becoming systemically responsive to the other substances. I believe this is why some people really do develop a dependency on cannabis, which I've read hundreds of examples here about. There are always plenty of "No, no way"-sayers on this subject, but the people who experience this are very definitely in the grips of something more than psychological dependence. Any one with a propensity for addiction can get addicted to anything, whether it has withdrawal-type dependence or not. Food. Shopping. Gambling. Opiates. Weed. Alcohol. They're those folks who're destined to get hooked to something no matter what. This is why, for them specifically, they truly are addicted, often to multiple substances, and why, for folks who fall into this category, cannabis easily can be a gateway drug. Argue all you want, but for some people it is addictive and it does lead to other types of drugs because of that response linkage to the other receptors. In these people, there is also fairly marked physical withdrawal when they discontinue cannabis after heavy and repeated use, probably as a result of the withdrawal effects on the opiate receptors.

Here's some good info, and please don't dismiss it. These researchers are learning more and more every day about why this happens to some people and not to others. This is seminal and significant research about these receptors, including several very good links and excellent bibliographical sources.

The Why Files | 4. Recognizing drug receptors
You are way more researched than I am, and admittedly I was caught with my trousers down because I don't have the research bookmarked, I will have to have a dig around.

And yes, it is really good to see the talk about the specific receptors for THC, some people react different, and much like our beloved plants, our genetics varies widely too! Which means different reactions - for everyone. I can't generalise and I'd expect the medical community as a whole cannot either!

I hope other people continue to input data about this topic. There is, by my own admission some problems defining mental addiction, psychological addiction, and differentiating them between chemical dependance and psysiological addiction. In any case, from what I've seen I have to remain strongly in favour of some people will become what, at the very least, appears to be a strong mental addiction to this drug.

In my case, I would call it a medical dependance, uhh ahem :rasta:

I will be reading my pants off now.

Oh oh oh, one thing, I thought the behavioural system played an integral part on addictive and neurochemical responses; or at least how they are dealt with in any psychological reward system. Again, your clearly way more researched than me so maybe you can clear that up! :thumbsup:

Peace,
Denial