Is Marijuana Addictive or Not?

I'll be blunt and get right to the point.

I was always told that marijuana was not addictive. Then again I only heard that from my peers. What are the effects of long-term marijuana smoke?

4/20 is a day when both stoners and casual weed smokers can spark up without judgment. Does the day even have much meaning anymore? Smoking weed isn't as demonized as it was just a short time ago. Ever since marijuana has become legal in New York State every 20th of April just seems like any other day of the year.

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There are still several rules regarding smoking marijuana legally and responsibly. You can't smoke while operating a vehicle for example. Both New York State residents who smoke weed on a regular basis and those who don't know anything about it have a lot of questions about what is legal and what isn't in our state.
Read More: Answers to 10 Common Cannabis Questions New Yorkers Have

Health Effects of Marijuana

Though smoking marijuana might not be illegal does that make it healthy? It's still a drug and people who use a drug habitually can develop a dependence. Does that apply to pot?

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, marijuana might not cause addiction as we see in other drugs like opiates and amphetamines but roughly 30% of people who consume marijuana develop something called marijuana use disorder. The disorder is classified as a dependence but in some cases can grow into an addiction when consuming the drug interferes with one's daily routine. Some may even have withdrawal symptoms.

People most at risk of getting the disorder are those who start smoking before the age of 18.