Marijuana won't kill you in a single night like fentanyl can, but marijuana addiction can slowly wear away at everything important in your life. Millions of people across Ohio smoke weed regularly, and while many manage it without major problems, some reach a point where they can’t function at all without marijuana.
If you’re reading this, you have probably tried quitting multiple times, made it a few days, then ended up smoking again. That isn’t a sign of failure; it shows that you know there is an issue and you haven’t given up. Armada Recovery builds on that resolve with expert care and evidence-based treatment to give you everything you need to get better.
What is marijuana addiction?
In scientific terms, marijuana addiction is ongoing use that persists through multiple failed quit attempts and worsening life consequences.
One reason marijuana addiction often gets dismissed is that people still think of weed as "just a plant". But the marijuana available today has been selectively bred to maximize THC, the compound that gets you high. Concentrated products like edibles and vape cartridges contain even higher THC levels, making modern marijuana almost a completely different drug from the weed of past decades.
Higher THC content means faster dependence. Your brain adjusts to these elevated levels, and when you stop, withdrawal can be more intense than people expect based on outdated ideas about how mild marijuana is.
How does marijuana addiction develop?
Marijuana addiction usually builds slowly over time. Someone who smokes once or twice a week gradually finds themselves using marijuana every evening before bed or after work, then multiple times per day. Before long, weed stops being recreational and starts being necessary, as you can't relax, sleep, or cope with normal everyday stress without getting high first.
Marijuana addiction often becomes obvious when you decide to quit. You may manage for a day or two, then hit a point where you're not sleeping, irritable with everyone, and can't stop thinking about cannabis. Going back to marijuana then feels like relief, and then failure. This becomes a repeated cycle of deciding to quit, struggling, and relapsing. That cycle is marijuana addiction, and breaking it usually requires professional help.
What are the signs of marijuana addiction?
Due to its prevalence in popular culture, most people are familiar with the signs of cannabis use. However, they may not be as aware of the signs that someone is struggling with marijuana addiction:
- You can't remember the last full day you didn’t use marijuana
- Running out of cannabis causes huge anxiety
- You've missed work, school, or important commitments because you were too high
- Relationships with your family or friends have deteriorated because of your marijuana use
- You spend money on marijuana that should go toward bills or other responsibilities
- People close to you have expressed concern, but you dismissed or minimized it
- You've tried to quit or cut back multiple times without success
Recognizing even a few of these signs means you may need professional help with marijuana addiction.
What causes marijuana addiction?
THC attaches to cannabinoid receptors throughout your nervous system, which is why cannabis affects everything from appetite to mood to memory. Your body produces its own cannabinoids naturally, but regular marijuana use overwhelms this system. Your brain adjusts to having external THC constantly present and stops functioning normally without it. When you stop using marijuana, it can take months for normal function to return after you stop.
But brain chemistry alone doesn't explain why some people become addicted while others don't. Several marijuana-specific factors increase addiction risk:
- Starting to smoke during adolescence or early twenties, when your brain is still developing
- Underestimating the risk of addiction because marijuana is natural or now legal in Ohio
- Using marijuana specifically for sleep, and now being unable to fall asleep without it
- Smoking weed to manage boredom rather than for any particular reason, making it a default pastime
- Medical marijuana creating a perception that it is legitimate medicine
- Living in an environment where marijuana use is normalized
- Moving from smoking weed to concentrates or edibles
- Lack of immediate negative consequences, like a hangover or comedown
What are the dangers and side effects of marijuana addiction?
Cannabis won't cause a fatal overdose, but long-term marijuana abuse creates serious health and life consequences:
Physical health risks
- Chronic bronchitis and respiratory problems from smoking
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure, raising cardiovascular risk
- Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome—severe cyclical vomiting requiring emergency care
- Weakened immune response
- Sexual dysfunction and reduced fertility
- Pregnancy complications, including low birth weight
- Mental health risks
- Marijuana-induced psychosis, particularly with high-THC products
- Increased risk of developing schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals
- Worsening depression and anxiety
- Panic attacks triggered by THC
- Persistent paranoia
Cognitive and functional impairment
- Memory and learning problems
- Increase your risk of accidents due to slowed reaction times
- Impaired judgment leading to dangerous decisions
- Marijuana amotivational syndrome—a loss of drive to pursue your goals or maintain responsibilities
Treatment for marijuana addiction at Armada Recovery
Marijuana detox is provided at our inpatient center, so we can watch you through withdrawal and prescribe sleep or anxiety medication if you need it. Cannabis withdrawal won't kill you, but it can feel bad enough that most people smoke again just to make it stop.
After detox, you can then move into marijuana rehab at one of our Akron or Dayton treatment centers. Rehab at both is outpatient, so you will come in for therapy at pre-scheduled times, but stay at home. We offer a full program of different therapies, focused on marijuana use triggers, personal and mental health struggles, behavioural change, and relapse prevention.
After completing the drug main rehab program, some people need partial hospitalization before they're ready to go back to regular life, others continue with extra outpatient treatment, and all are invited into our Alumni Community. When you are coming to the end of treatment, our team will discuss the best options for you.
Get help for marijuana addiction today
If you can't quit marijuana no matter how many times you've tried, Armada Recovery can help you finally break free. We take marijuana addiction just as seriously as any other drug, and the fact that you are reading this means you are serious about recovery, too. Contact us to discuss the treatment options open to you and how to get started.