Cannabis: A Drug of Addiction

For a long time, there were many thoughts that cannabis was not a “dangerous” drug, or only a “soft” drug, in the sense that it did not lead to physical withdrawal syndrome—unlike alcohol, opiates, or benzodiazepines. We can be dependent without a physical withdrawal syndrome (even if its presence is of course an aggravating factor). On the other hand, addiction always results in discomfort, lack of any attempt to stop, weaning, the brain suffers and expresses it through general symptoms as we can see, for example, with tobacco: nervousness, tension, restlessness, irritability, and sleep disorders. This is also the case with cannabis and this is recognized in international classifications since Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 5. Cannabis addiction has therefore long been contested, but current data indicate that around 10% of cannabis experimenters become addicted to it. This is the case for more than 16% of those who started during adolescence and about 50% of daily users. This addiction is also manifested by a currently well-identified withdrawal syndrome which is expressed in particular by symptoms of irritability, insomnia, dysphoria, anxiety, and craving (irrepressible need to consume). In addition to this addiction problem, cannabis use can be a pathway for psychotic disorders to appear, although it is not yet clear whether it is cannabis that leads to schizophrenia or psychosis that leads to cannabis use.