Cannabis is addictive

Users trying to quit suffer serious withdrawal symptoms, says study

CANNABIS can be highly addictive, causing serious withdrawal symptoms in half of regular users, research suggests.

A study of 23,000 people found those who tried to quit suffered from numerous disorders such as anger, depression and sweating – often at the same time.

The findings suggest marijuana creates a far greater dependence than campaigners who have argued for laws on the drug to be relaxed claim, and add to evidence that it can cause longterm damage.

Academics who pooled the results of 47 studies found nearly half of regular users suffered from what they described as ‘cannabis withdrawal syndrome’.

And they said the more someone uses the drug, the greater their risk of developing the issues.

The researchers defined cannabis withdrawal syndrome as a condition where someone develops at least three major symptoms within seven days of giving up the drug.

These include irritability, anger, aggression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, restlessness, depression, headaches, sweating and nausea.

Men were found to be at greater risk of suffering the syndrome, as were those who were also tobacco smokers or users of other drugs.

The study – thought to be the biggest of its kind – should be a wake-up call, the team which led it at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, said.

They wrote: ‘Many professionals and members of the general public may not be aware of cannabis withdrawal.

‘Clinicians should be aware of the high prevalence of cannabis withdrawal symptoms and should consider screening for it, particularly among those who are at greater risk.’ They wrote in the JAMA Network Open journal that the research adds to growing awareness of the damage of long-term cannabis use, which could include ‘addiction, altered brain development, poor educa

‘Increased risk of suicide’

tional outcomes, cognitive impairment, diminished quality of life, increased risk of chronic respiratory tract and psychotic disorders and suicide’.

Voices for the decriminalisation of cannabis in Britain have been growing in recent years, buoyed by the Government’s 2018 decision to permit limited use for medical treatment.

Former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has argued making mild forms of the class B drug legal would stop people using super-strong ‘skunk’ varieties.

And the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy Reform wants sick people to be allowed to grow their own cannabis under licence.

But many experts have warned the Government to be cautious.

A major study led by Oxford University psychiatrists last year concluded cannabis is responsible for 60,000 cases of depression among the young.

Teenagers still see cannabis as harmless, they said, but it interferes with the brain at a crucial period in its development.