• DPMC Moderators: thegreenhand | tryptakid
  • Drug Policy & Media Coverage Welcome Guest
    View threads about
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Drug Busts Megathread Video Megathread

Study: Cannabis is as addictive as opiates, for teens.

PriestTheyCalledHim

PriestTheyCalledHim

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 7, 2005
Messages
14,724
Teenagers’ addiction rates for cannabis are about the same as for prescription opioids, according to a new study of drugs and youth.


A year after first trying cannabis, almost 10.7% of adolescents age 12 to 17 met the criteria of addiction. Those in the same age group who tried prescription opioids had a similar addiction rate of 11.2%, according to the study, published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.
Click to expand...

I am not sure how true this is?
 
It all depends on definitions I expect. If they mean that similar percentages of teenagers who try marijuana vs opiates once wind up becoming habitual daily users, I believe it.

Interestingly, another article on the same subject that popped up said cocaine was substantially less addictive than both. Who knew.

I had trouble finding the original paper.
 
SKL said:
It all depends on definitions I expect. If they mean that similar percentages of teenagers who try marijuana vs opiates once wind up becoming habitual daily users, I believe it.

Interestingly, another article on the same subject that popped up said cocaine was substantially less addictive than both. Who knew.

I had trouble finding the original paper.
Click to expand...
I never smoked pot or hashish daily as a teen or university student, as it was expensive, and I was busy working and studying.

I did dabble with opiates then, as the pharmaceutical opiates like oxy, hydrocodone, and codeine were easily available from people's medicine cabinets, dealers had them, and drug using friends would give pills away when partying. I stopped all opiates as I began to take them on weekends and the nausea was not fun, and I got bad stomach cramps when coming down.

I also ate Dexedrine/Amphetamines like candy in school but these were enjoyable.

I tried cocaine once, loved it too much, and I found it to be strong when I used it orally-I hate snorting anything-and super arousing but the way it did not last as long as Dexedrine did or how the fiending to use more, or use all of it until it was gone, and get more and keep binging was concerning. I got very sad and depressed when I crashed and I craved it for years afterwards, but did not use it when offered it at parties or did not buy any as it was and probably still is super inexpensive.
 
I can definitely see this too

marijauna is a very low commitment drug in that you can smoke without having to have 12-24 hrs laid out ahead of you to trip or do amphs or something. Plus it’s often presented as being non addictive so people may feel less risk in using it

whereas the sensationalization of opioids has led to many people being afraid of them, even in legitimate medical contexts
 
This is pretty well known. Opioids are not exceptionally addictive if addiction is defined as the proportion of, say, daily users to the number of people who have tried the drug in the past year. Alcohol, cannabis, opioids, tranquilizers, stimulants of all sorts... most people who try them do not end up using them habitually, and the proportion who do is pretty similar throughout. The notable exception is tobacco (and, from a purely statistical perspective, caffeine).

Now, if one defines addictiveness as the difficulty in quitting a substance once addicted, then that's a different story.
 
S.J.B. said:
Now, if one defines addictiveness as the difficulty in quitting a substance once addicted, then that's a different story.
Click to expand...
If we use purely use this defintion then caffeine could be up there. The physical withdrawals can be hell. I had splintering migraines for weeks and i felt like my brain was completely fucking scrambled when i went from 4 cups of tea a day to cold turkey. Admittedly, a taper would've been smarter... But many people are not willing to give up their morning coffee because otherwise they "get a headache", even though the average person wouldn't see this as physical addiction it obviously is.

It seems a defintion combining both variables would be most valid
 
I don't know if on its face purely effects wise cannabis is more addicting. I'll take an IV rush over a bong hit any day if we're taking I pure feeling.

As a seasoned drug user though when you have a grasp of the consequences of both of these drugs weed is more addictive overall because there is far less incentive to stop (few consequences from abusing it).

With opioids the money, danger, cost, health risk, withdrawals and illegality, make them easier to step away from at least for me.
 
Last edited:
Cannabis was definitely a gateway drug for me, and I don't think it was the drug culture that did it.
 
It's like comparing chalk and cheese in my opinion.

Yes, cannabis can be very habit forming. But it simply does not cause physical dependence in the same way that opiates do. That is a fact.
 
PriestTheyCalledHim said:
I never smoked pot or hashish daily as a teen or university student, as it was expensive, and I was busy working and studying.

I did dabble with opiates then, as the pharmaceutical opiates like oxy, hydrocodone, and codeine were easily available from people's medicine cabinets, dealers had them, and drug using friends would give pills away when partying. I stopped all opiates as I began to take them on weekends and the nausea was not fun, and I got bad stomach cramps when coming down.

I also ate Dexedrine/Amphetamines like candy in school but these were enjoyable.

I tried cocaine once, loved it too much, and I found it to be strong when I used it orally-I hate snorting anything-and super arousing but the way it did not last as long as Dexedrine did or how the fiending to use more, or use all of it until it was gone, and get more and keep binging was concerning. I got very sad and depressed when I crashed and I craved it for years afterwards, but did not use it when offered it at parties or did not buy any as it was and probably still is super inexpensive.
Click to expand...
Bit off-topic ofcourse but I find cocaine to be massively underrated to take oral. Combined with alcohol I find oral cocaine to last longer and be more "smooth" high compared to snorting it. Same goes for methylphenidate. Damn, methylphenidate oral combined with alcohol had me buzzing and talking to everyone like I was on MDMA lol. It did somehow "feel" very bad for my heart... and when I started reading reports that alcohol+cocaine was especially bad I basically quit using coke and mph aswell since I figured they are too similar to not have the same risks attached.


On Topic: I used to love smoking weed between 17-22 or smthn, at some point I just couldn't enjoy it anymore and I always got paranoid. Looking back I definitely used it in a similar way to how I use opioids now, so maybe at that age it is indeed similarly addictive. Though with less harsh consequences, atleast for me. Right now its enjoyable again, but only when I'm on opioids, then it actually potentiates the opioid high. I find the high is a bit "wasted" if I don't combine it with weed.
 
F.U.B.A.R. said:
It's like comparing chalk and cheese in my opinion.

Yes, cannabis can be very habit forming. But it simply does not cause physical dependence in the same way that opiates do. That is a fact.
Click to expand...
Neither does cocaine or meth, whats the insistence upon this? It's not a seriously addictive drug, but it can be quite addictive and does lose effectiveness
 
I remember, I used to NEVER drink alcohol, unless I ran out of weed. Of which it is/was a poor substitute
 
Tramalala said:
Bit off-topic ofcourse but I find cocaine to be massively underrated to take oral. Combined with alcohol I find oral cocaine to last longer and be more "smooth" high compared to snorting it. Same goes for methylphenidate. Damn, methylphenidate oral combined with alcohol had me buzzing and talking to everyone like I was on MDMA lol. It did somehow "feel" very bad for my heart... and when I started reading reports that alcohol+cocaine was especially bad I basically quit using coke and mph aswell since I figured they are too similar to not have the same risks attached.


On Topic: I used to love smoking weed between 17-22 or smthn, at some point I just couldn't enjoy it anymore and I always got paranoid. Looking back I definitely used it in a similar way to how I use opioids now, so maybe at that age it is indeed similarly addictive. Though with less harsh consequences, atleast for me. Right now its enjoyable again, but only when I'm on opioids, then it actually potentiates the opioid high. I find the high is a bit "wasted" if I don't combine it with weed.
Click to expand...
Yeah cocaine is extremely cardiotoxic and bad for the heart. The one time I used it, I also thought I could "feel" as though it is very bad for the heart, and I was super nervous having heard all about Len Bias using cocaine only once and dying from it.
 
Tramalala said:
On Topic: I used to love smoking weed between 17-22 or smthn, at some point I just couldn't enjoy it anymore and I always got paranoid. Looking back I definitely used it in a similar way to how I use opioids now,
Click to expand...
Same but with kratom (no opioids except..)
I cannot bear the weed paranoia, is so bad for my mental health.
 
F.U.B.A.R. said:
It's like comparing chalk and cheese in my opinion.

Yes, cannabis can be very habit forming. But it simply does not cause physical dependence in the same way that opiates do. That is a fact.
Click to expand...

If you define addictiveness as intensity of withdrawal then it isn't but lots of people don't define it that way. For example, tobacco is widely considered to be very addictive even though the withdrawal isn't like opiates. Same with cocaine.
 
burn out said:
If you define addictiveness as intensity of withdrawal then it isn't but lots of people don't define it that way. For example, tobacco is widely considered to be very addictive even though the withdrawal isn't like opiates. Same with cocaine.
Click to expand...
Probably opioids would be like alcohol if they didn't kill overdosing so often... and imagine if they didn't cause any withdrawal! that would be crazy, at least 50% of the population would be nodding off five minutes after reaching home from work...
I consider weed the only addiction I had, cause I could say that I'm "addicted" to kratom, but at the moment I'm in a t-break and doing fine 9days off, if I feel bad (not feeling what I want from kratom ) then I'm able to do a t-break, and that's the only issue, with very minor withdrawals...
With weed it was pure addiction since I didn't want to realize for a loooong period of time that the plant was not benefiting me in anye way, I just didn't want to see it, I was blinded. I don't feel blinded by kratom, I feel good, better than normal, it has its downsides, I can clearly point at them but is not like is fucking my life, weed was.
 
Neuroborean said:
Probably opioids would be like alcohol if they didn't kill overdosing so often... and imagine if they didn't cause any withdrawal! that would be crazy, at least 50% of the population would be nodding off five minutes after reaching home from work...
I consider weed the only addiction I had, cause I could say that I'm "addicted" to kratom, but at the moment I'm in a t-break and doing fine 9days off, if I feel bad (not feeling what I want from kratom ) then I'm able to do a t-break, and that's the only issue, with very minor withdrawals...
With weed it was pure addiction since I didn't want to realize for a loooong period of time that the plant was not benefiting me in anye way, I just didn't want to see it, I was blinded. I don't feel blinded by kratom, I feel good, better than normal, it has its downsides, I can clearly point at them but is not like is fucking my life, weed was.
Click to expand...
Bupe (just 2 weeks on it) ruined kratom for me. Its now no longer feasible to take 25g i mean its feasible but highly unpleasant to eat all that. And I haven't had bupe in years seems pwrmatolerance
 
Zephyn said:
Bupe (just 2 weeks on it) ruined kratom for me. Its now no longer feasible to take 25g i mean its feasible but highly unpleasant to eat all that. And I haven't had bupe in years seems pwrmatolerance
Click to expand...
Fortunately I didn't try any other opioid neither want to...
An uncle of mine almost died and was very addicted to dope so that keeps me far from opiates in general, I think kratom is fucking amazing, even when it does not deliver euphoria.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top