All over the United States, marijuana comes in first as the most abused illegal drug. It may be hard to believe but teenagers and younger children are the largest group of marijuana addiction and abuse cases. After speaking with high schools seniors across the nation, it was revealed that forty two percent had tried marijuana. This is often the first illegal drug a person will try before moving on to harder and more dangerous drugs. In 2007, fifty-six percent of the three million people that were using illegal drugs admitted to beginning with marijuana.

Many individuals with marijuana addiction and abuse still believe that marijuana is a safe drug and that using the drug will not lead to addiction or harm of any kind. If this statement is true then why has marijuana addiction and abuse been listed as the reason for individuals to be admitted to drug and alcohol abuse treatment centers just a little below alcohol and opiates. In 2007, sixteen percent of individuals admitted to rehab centers were admitted for marijuana addiction and abuse. There are at this time, more than seven million individuals in the US dependent on marijuana, thus the reason for admission to treatment centers for marijuana addiction and abuse.

There is a difference between marijuana addiction and marijuana abuse. Marijuana abuse is when individuals use the drug for non-medical purposes whereas addiction is when a person is dependent on the drug. A person can become addicted to marijuana due to the THC found in the drug. The drug provides a high that requires more and more of the drug in order to experience the same high. As a person smokes marijuana, the THC travels through the blood to the brain. Here it connects with nerve cells that control concentration, thought, pleasure, time perception, memory, coordination, and sensory awareness. The drug causes a person to have a dreamy detached state of mind thus the reason the user acts silly or giggles. In some cases, the effect of marijuana can last up to a full eight hours.

Marijuana addiction and abuse is still prevalent in today’s society and in most areas of the United States it is climbing. Reports from studies by the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration showed a slow but steady rise of marijuana addiction and abuse over the last decade. In 1997, the report showed the marijuana addiction and abuse was at 12.8 percent for admission to drug rehab centers whereas in 2007 the percentage rose to 15.8 percent. The average age for a teenager to try marijuana was around seventeen.

Marijuana addiction and abuse is nothing to laugh at. It is very prevalent in our society today and needs to be addressed. Teenagers that begin with marijuana today may be the next heroin or oxycontin abuser of tomorrow. To find help with marijuana addiction and abuse you should speak with your physician and start changing your life for the better today.