CANNABIS BECOMING A PROBLEM:
How to Manage Withdrawal?
For many years there has been an idea going around the cannabis community that using cannabis is not addictive and cannot be addictive. This has since been disproven and studies have shown using cannabis can lead to an addiction. The CDC says that the likelihood of becoming addicted is about 10%. However, with the number of people using marijuana growing so quickly, even at 10%, there are a lot of people going through a cannabis addiction and withdrawal symptoms. Many are calling a cannabis addiction Marijuana or Cannabis Use Disorder. This usage disorder is diagnosed, as reported by Yale Medicine, by “meeting at least two of the 11 criteria, which include an inability to reduce consumption, constant cravings, and relationship and social problems.” [The complete list of the 11 criteria are as follows: hazardous use, social or interpersonal problems related to use, neglected major roles to use, withdrawal, tolerance, used larger amounts/longer, repeated attempts to control the use or quit much time spent using physical or psychological problems related to use, activities given up to use, and cravings.] Yale’s research so far has shown that using pharmaceuticals to combat this disorder has been unsuccessful. “There is an urgent need to develop effective treatments, either behavioral or pharmacological, for cannabis use disorder,” says Yale Medicine psychiatrist Deepak Cyril D’Souza, MD. “It is likely that the combination of behavioral and pharmacological approaches will be superior to either alone." While Yale is a reputable resource, let’s look into another study. Research into what can be done to help with an addiction to cannabis is still ongoing, however, there are a few other reputable places we can look to for advice. According to Harvard Medical School’s Peter Grinspoon, MD, while cannabis withdrawal symptoms are not as serious and potentially life-threatening as symptoms from meth, cocaine, or opioids, they are still very real and very hard to navigate.
The commonly used treatments for cannabis withdrawal are either cognitive behavioral therapy or medication therapy, neither of which has been shown to be particularly effective. Common medications that have been used are dronabinol (which is synthetic THC); nabiximols (which is cannabis in a mucosal spray, so you aren’t actually treating the withdrawal); gabapentin for anxiety (which has a host of side effects); and zolpidem for the sleep disturbance (which also has a list of side effects). Some researchers are looking at CBD, the non-intoxicating component of cannabis, as a treatment for cannabis withdrawal.
57 AUGUST 2022
thechronicmagazine.com
