Cannabis is a plant which belongs to a group of three herbs with psychoactive properties: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis.
Cannabis (or marijuana, among other names) is arguably the most popular illicit substance globally, although it is now legal in several jurisdictions.
While most of the people who support cannabis use argue that the herb has therapeutic benefits, cannabis dependency is a huge problem among many users, including those in the UK, and there are many benefits of undergoing rehab treatment for cannabis. This helps you overcome cannabis addiction for the long-term.
Although many believe its natural qualities are not harmful, cannabis can undoubtedly cause negative side effects and impact users’ lifestyles to no end.
As one of the most popular recreational drugs in the UK, cannabis has accumulated a range of street names that are indicative of its widespread use.
Many people have familiarised themselves with the relaxing effects of pot, weed, hash, and skunk. However, despite its relaxing, euphoric effects and reputation for being a “mild” drug, its addictive potential remains.
Cannabis addiction in the UK is a prevalent issue and is reflected by statistics surrounding its use. Annual ONS studies show that since 1995, cannabis has consistently been the most-used drug in England and Wales.
It was also the most common drug used by those aged between 16-24 years, with 18.7% (1.2 million) reporting using cannabis last year.
This prevalent consumption has, in many cases, led to diagnosable addiction problems for many UK residents: particularly the younger demographic.
According to one government study, Cannabis addiction was the most common substance use problem (89%) that young people sought treatment for.
If you consume cannabis regularly and are concerned about your relationship with the drug, the first step toward treatment is to obtain a diagnosis.
Depending on their unique needs and preference, individuals can use a simple preliminary test as a starting point, before obtaining a definitive diagnosis from a GP or clinician.
Those who are recommended a self-assessment or who choose to complete one themselves can do so in the comfort of their own home. This can make the process feel less daunting, and give the individual space to come to terms with their possible cannabis addiction.
Nonetheless, subjects should note that, while clinically approved, these screening tools aren’t an official diagnosis. They should instead be viewed as a precursor to medical treatment or formal rehabilitation for cannabis addiction.
CAGE is a well-utilised screening tool for substance use disorders, and was originally created to identify problematic alcohol consumption in various communities.
With the rise of new substance use disorders and hazardous drug consumption, the questionnaire has since been redesigned to screen for a range of conditions: including cannabis addiction.
The newer CAGE-AID questionnaire specifically identifies drug addictions by adapting the wording of its four questions. However, the principle acronym remains the same, with CAGE standing for Cut Down, Annoyed, Guilty, and Eye (eye-opener).
Either at a doctor’s office or home, participants concerned about their cannabis use answer the questions in the following format:
As can be surmised, these questions simply require a “yes” or “no” answer: with the former increasing a subject’s score by one. Someone answering “yes” to just one of these questions may have a mild to a moderate issue with their consumption, whereas someone answering “yes” to each question may have a full cannabis addiction.
The DSM-5 is a clinical handbook considered the optimal resource for investigating, treating, and facilitating treatment for substance use disorders. The diagnostic manual includes a separate handbook for cannabis addiction, informed and updated by experts in the field of SUD treatment.
The manual for cannabis use disorder outlines 11 symptoms of the condition that should be used as criteria when diagnosing a possible dependency. These articles include examples of addiction and hazardous use: providing a useful guideline for GPs and specialists.
The comprehensive guideline is as follows:
The DSM-5 handbook for cannabis addiction categorizes the 11 symptoms into four sections. These are impaired control (the inability to cease using), risky use (consuming cannabis in dangerous scenarios), social issues (problems with an addicted individual’s relationships), and physical dependence (undergoing withdrawal).
Identifying with more than one symptom on this list is considered clinically significant, and the more a patient identifies with the criteria, the more at risk they are of having a diagnosable condition. For instance, recognising two or three symptoms is often indicative of a mild to moderate cannabis addiction.
On the more severe end of the spectrum, a patient identifying six or more criteria elements should seek treatment for severe cannabis addiction. Clinicians with patients scoring six or above will often suggest further treatment, either on an inpatient or outpatient basis.
When forming future treatments for chronic cannabis addiction, clinicians will often use placement criteria to decide the best course of action for their patients. Such resources ensure a personalised approach to cannabis addiction treatment in the UK.
Used for placing patients in the best place to begin their unique recovery journey, the ASAM criteria are a crucial resource.
It is known among healthcare professionals as the defining standard for planning treatment and placing individuals in optimal rehabilitation centres for cannabis addiction.
The ASAM states that six dimensions should be taken into account when clinicians determine whether a patient has mild, moderate, or severe cannabis addiction. The six elements encompass the behavioural, emotional, and physical aspects of a cannabis use disorder, and are described as follows:
Following their ASAM evaluation, patients are assigned a level by their GP or specialist to indicate the level of care they should receive. These four levels are outlined as follows:
The clinician will explain to the patient what each level means, and describe why they’ve been assigned a certain number. This will be entirely personalised to their unique treatment needs.
For instance, a patient receiving level 4 after their ASAM assessment is prescribed inpatient treatment at a cannabis rehab centre.
While chronic cannabis addiction increases the chances of sustaining injuries, there are many additional health complications associated with the drug.
As previously mentioned, those addicted to cannabis can experience both physical and psychological complications as part of their diagnosis.
In recent years, more research has been carried out into the effect cannabis can have on pre-existing mental health disorders. This research has also shown that those using cannabis frequently have an increased risk of developing psychiatric conditions.
Whatever the case, patients exhibiting diagnosable psychological symptoms alongside their cannabis addiction are described as having co-occuring disorders.
Research has shown a worrying link between cannabis use and psychosis: involving a disconnection from reality. Cannabis-induced psychosis disorder (CIPD) often involves severe hallucinations or delusions that first show up during cannabis use or shortly after. This can be incredibly distressing for affected individuals and is influenced by how strong the cannabis they’ve used is or how often they use it.
Unregulated cannabis consumption can also increase the risk of developing depression and/or suicidal feelings: an incredibly dangerous condition that can be fatal. Individuals using cannabis frequently and noticing a change in their mood should seek professional help immediately.
Oftentimes, there is a genetic component involved in developing co-occuring disorders and experiencing adverse mental symptoms as part of your cannabis addiction.
Research has suggested that those already at risk of developing hereditary psychiatric conditions or problems such as anxiety are at increased risk of showing symptoms if they use cannabis frequently.
Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that those already experiencing a mental health problem can experience an increase in symptoms as part of their cannabis addiction.
For instance, using cannabis raises someone’s heart rate, which can exacerbate feelings of anxiety and heart palpitations.
Cannabis addiction can also cause chemical changes in the brain and disrupt neural activity.
This is because the active ingredient in cannabis: delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (otherwise known as THC) acts on cannabinoid receptors found in brain regions that influence a variety of behaviour. These include but aren’t limited to memory, appetite, and coordination.
While scientists are still learning about the long-term effects of cannabis on the brain, they believe young adults are most at risk of long-term damage. This is because their neural connections are still in development.
One group of studies showed that teens who smoke cannabis frequently showed changes to the hippocampus part of the brain. This is the area responsible for long-term memory.
This data set indicated that the longer participants used cannabis, the more abnormal the shape of their hippocampus region: resulting in poor long-term memory functions as they approached adulthood.
The effects of cannabis on the heart have been a much-debated topic over the years, with mainstream media releasing a range of articles.
However, recent studies released by The British Heart Foundation, alongside Harvard Medical reports have indicated a problematic relationship between cannabis and the heart’s functions.
Studies undertaken by Harvard Health have indicated that those battling cannabis addictions are more likely to experience arrhythmia and spikes in blood pressure.
Moreover, the risk of enduring a heart attack is several times higher in the first hour after smoking cannabis than it would be normally.
Furthermore, research undertaken at the Queen Mary University of London revealed that cannabis addiction can increase the size of the heart’s left ventricle.
Over time, this will affect the health of the heart’s main pumping chamber: increasing the risk of long-term cardiovascular disease and problems such as strokes and heart attacks.
While some individuals are addicted to cannabis in its edible form, many more people in the UK regularly smoke the drug alongside tobacco. As can be expected, this puts those suffering from a cannabis addiction at risk of developing symptoms normally associated with smoking.
Victims of cannabis use disorder often smoke daily: an action known to irritate the lungs and decrease the organ’s function. This causes individuals to feel weak, more tired than usual, and even struggle to catch their breath when completing normal activities.
Over time, this will lead to weight gain, and even prevents people from enjoying physical activities and hobbies.
Individuals smoking cannabis daily might also notice an increased amount of mucus being expelled as they cough. This irritates the lung’s linings, leading to conditions such as bronchitis.
This occurs when the bronchial tubes become inflamed: leading to long-term airway damage.
Chronic bronchitis refers to those who frequently suffer from this condition due to their unregulated cannabis use. This uncomfortable illness causes symptoms such as frequent coughing, trouble breathing, and breathing characterised by wheezing.
Furthermore, cannabis smoke, especially when combined with tobacco, contains a number of harmful carcinogens.
As such, someone with a cannabis addiction may have a higher chance of developing lung cancer. This has been validated by a few recent studies, but more research is needed to fuel such claims.
Other more tangible symptoms of cannabis-induced lung damage include the worsening of pre-existing conditions. In particular, those already suffering from asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may find that their symptoms become worse when they smoke the drug.
Regardless of their addiction severity, financial situation, and location in the UK, there’s a range of treatment options for those battling cannabis use disorder.
These range from intensive inpatient rehab programmes, to outpatient fellowship groups such as Marijuana Anonymous (MA).
Those diagnosed with severe cannabis addiction are often guided towards inpatient treatment by clinicians. This means they’ll live onsite at a rehab for cannabis: receiving round-the-cock care, and immediate medical care for any adverse symptoms.
Moreover, inpatient rehab for cannabis addiction rids patients of daily distractions and temptations. Those with co-occurring disorders can also receive comprehensive care for their complex needs, and not have to worry about experiencing people or things that exacerbate their psychological symptoms.
While inpatient care has a variety of durations and intensity levels; the exact time frame and level of treatment-experienced will depend on your unique situation. Oftentimes, residential programmes range between 20-30 days in length, with programmes of around 90 days prescribed in the most severe cases of cannabis addiction.
Outpatient treatment for cannabis use disorders differs from inpatient care entirely. Those enrolled in an outpatient recovery programme will live at home and travel to the clinic of their choice for weekly or bi-weekly therapy appointments.
Individuals experiencing a standard outpatient programme, often through the NHS, may visit their therapist 1-2 times per week depending on their unique schedule. In contrast, individuals requiring more intensive outpatient care might attend treatment for most days a week, and for up to several hours each day. This is also known as partial hospitalisation.
Unlike inpatient rehab care, which is normally shorter and more intensive, outpatient treatment can last from a few months to one year and beyond. This is best suited to those with strong support systems at home, access to a car or transportation, and a stable home environment.
For patients prone to experiencing adverse withdrawal symptoms when they quit using the drug, cannabis detoxification is a crucial process. Detox refers to the gradual removal of cannabis metabolites from the body, a process that occurs naturally soon after someone’s final dose.
Oftentimes, those with a mild cannabis addiction are directed towards NHS drug help services: via which cannabis detox can be accessed affordably. These NHS detox programmes are free of charge and outpatient-based: meaning patients will need to visit a clinic for treatment before returning home.
However, outpatient cannabis detox requires patients to return home where they’ll potentially encounter temptations and triggers. Therefore, It’s important to note that inpatient detox plans (where patients remain on-site at a specialist clinic) often have a more successful recovery rate.
Moreover, having access to an inpatient cannabis detox space means any withdrawal symptoms are dealt with swiftly. In the medically supported environment of rehab for cannabis addiction, adverse symptoms are treated with ease: providing patients with both clinical and holistic support.
For those with mild cannabis addiction, withdrawal might only last a couple of days. However, long-term cannabis users or poly-drug users may find detox a far more difficult process: benefiting from an inpatient recovery centre.
Additional benefits of an inpatient cannabis detox include recovering in a nurturing, safe space where all your unique needs are addressed.
Patients will also receive assistance with nutrition to restore physical well-being, alongside one year of comprehensive aftercare in the community and on-site at their chosen rehab.
There are 3 main types of cannabis which can be consumed in various ways. These include:
This type is made from flowers of the cannabis plant. Herbal cannabis resembles dried grass. It has a strong, pungent smell, which is why most users like mixing it with tobacco before smoking it.
Herbal cannabis is popularly known as weed, grass, or skunk. It is vacuum-packed before being sold to the end-user.
As the name suggests, cannabis oil is cannabis in liquid form. It is usually oily (dark and sticky) and is the rarest but the most potent type of cannabis in this list.
Cannabis oil is added to food, ointments, and homemade potions. It is extracted from the cannabis Sativa buds. Although cannabis oil is abused (used for recreational purposes), it is meant mostly for medicinal purposes.
This type of cannabis is pressed and sold in solid form. Cannabis resin comes in many shades of black and brown. It is popularly known as hashish or hash. Cannabis resin can be eaten/added in food. It can also be smoked through a bong or in a joint.
Yes. Countless studies prove that cannabis is addictive. One such study conducted in 2011 showed that 8.9% of cannabis users become addicted at some point in their lives.
Although the probability of being addicted to cannabis was lower compared to other drugs in the study, cannabis addiction is real.
However, it is worth noting that addiction isn’t necessarily driven by the substance in question but by an individual’s vulnerability to addiction. Many addiction specialists support this argument.
In fact, it explains why individuals struggling with one addiction show signs of addiction to other substances. It is therefore critical to address the root causes of addiction as opposed to addiction to cannabis itself or any other substance.
If you/a friend/a loved one is struggling with cannabis addiction, speak to an addiction specialist. Most addiction professionals are recovering users with first-hand experience and professional knowledge to help users recover.
According to research, genetics have a significant role to play in regard to addiction. In one study involving identical twins, the subjects had a higher risk of addiction co-occurring in both twins, if one identical twin becomes an addict, as opposed to fraternal twins who have been raised apart
Genetics aside, an individual’s responsibility skills also play a big role in addiction. According to Carl Hart, a Columbia University associate professor, addiction risks vary depending on the responsibility levels of an individual.
Hart states this is precisely why individuals with families, responsibilities, jobs, and social networks have lower addiction rates compared to their counterparts with less to no responsibilities.
Users tend to have more options and opportunities to abuse substances without having to think too much about responsibility.
Mental health is also a factor with environmental and genetic causes playing a role in the development of an addiction. 50 – 60% of individuals suffering from cannabis addiction tend to have an underlying mental health ailment/condition such as depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, or anxiety.
Cannabis can be used to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, however, as usage continues, tolerance is bound to set in. As a result, an individual will tend to indulge more. When they try to stop, their anxiety comes back even worse, plunging them further into addiction.
If a person has PTSD and uses cannabis to shut down nightmares, the benefits of cannabis in dealing with such problems are short-lived.
The way cannabis works depend on how it is ingested. When eaten or consumed in liquid form, the drug works faster compared to when it is smoked or inhaled.
When consumed, the drug enters the bloodstream and reaches body organs such as the brain. Cannabis works on people differently.
For instance, it can make some people euphoric or relaxed, while others can become paranoid.
Cannabis works in the body by altering dopamine levels in the brain. Dopamine is responsible for many functions, one of them being hunger.
This explains why cannabis can make someone overeat (get munchies). The drug (due to THC) increases dopamine levels making sufferers or individuals susceptible to paranoia, anxiety, and psychosis, experienced worsened symptoms.
Cannabis ddiction signs are similar to those of most, if not all, substance-related disorders. Addiction is a psychological phenomenon that makes an individual incapable of controlling their urges despite the serious emotional, financial, and physical consequences.
Here are the main signs of cannabis abuse in different people:
Adults who are addicted to weed will exhibit the following signs:
Cannabis abuse side effects can be divided into physical, mental and social effects. They include:
Most cannabis users will have tried stopping/reducing cannabis use in vain. Some will still indulge in cannabis regardless of the obvious negative effects.
A person is considered to have built up tolerance or dependence on cannabis if they need more quantities of cannabis to enjoy the same effect.
When drugs like cannabis enter the brain, they override natural processes boosting specific functions far beyond or below normal levels.
In response, the brain may develop resistance to protect itself from the drug. As a result, an addict may need more drugs to get the same effect.
Tolerance to cannabis has been researched in-depth. According to one study conducted in 2012, cannabis users tend to have fewer receptors in their brains for endogenous cannabinoids (signalling molecules that THC mimics).
THC (the main compound in cannabis) also alters the brain’s reward and pleasure system.
All drugs capable of causing addiction can stimulate the brain’s reward and pleasure system (dopamine signalling). This is precisely why taking drugs like cannabis is pleasurable.
Studies have proven that the brains of individuals who abuse cannabis have slowed response to dopamine. This increases vulnerability to drug abuse resulting in addiction or dependence.
Tolerance to cannabis can be traced to boredom. Most cannabis users begin using to get rid of boredom. Brain activity shifts from the main reward centres of the brain to others related to habit.
Within no time, pleasurable behaviour becomes a routine or habit that is hard to stop.
Initially, cannabis users do not realise when/if they have become users. Initially, users will rationalise their inability to stop despite suffering adverse consequences.
They will not admit to themselves let alone discuss with others the negative effects of cannabis on their life. This will trigger a cycle of cannabis abuse and negative consequences.
For regular people, it’s difficult to imagine life where drugs are more important than family time, work, or hobbies. Most people can’t recollect why users can’t just stop something that has negative effects on their lives.
While most people who aren’t users can make a rational decision where drugs are involved, users don’t stand a chance.
Users will consider immediate benefits over negative long-term consequences. They may not even think of, let alone acknowledge any negative consequences of use.
Users can’t do without their drug of choice. Individuals who aren’t users don’t see drugs as a problem. Being unable to stop smoking cannabis when you are trying to quit marks the onset of addiction.
Individuals who cannot stop on their own should seek professional help immediately.
Cannabis abuse has short-term and long-term effects. These effects include:
Cannabis users who try to stop using the drug experience withdrawal symptoms such as physical discomfort and mood problems starting within a week of quitting and lasting two weeks or more.
The physical withdrawal effects of cannabis usually persist until the drugs leave the body. Psychological effects last much longer.
According to research, it can take a month for the receptors responsible for addiction (cannabinoid 1 receptors) to resume normal function after a person stops taking cannabis. The process starts within days (after 2 days) of quitting.
However, cravings can persist, especially if an addict is exposed to cannabis after quitting. Withdrawal symptoms are inevitable for users who stop cannabis use abruptly.
Cannabis withdrawal symptoms include, but aren’t limited to:
Anyone who attempts to quit cannabis in vain or suffers the above, among other withdrawal symptoms, should seek professional cannabis addiction treatment.
While treatment can be done in typical rehabs, chances of recovery are higher in private residential rehabs that can handle problems like withdrawal effectively and offer more specialised care.
We offer high-quality rehabilitation & detoxification services tailored to your individual needs.
To discover your road to recovery, call us today on 0800 140 4690.
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[2] UCL News: Adolescents more vulnerable to cannabis addiction but not other mental health risks Adolescents more vulnerable to cannabis addiction but not other mental health risks | UCL News – UCL – University College London
[3] Drug misuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2020 Drug misuse in England and Wales – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
[4] Young people’s substance misuse treatment statistics 2020 to 2021: report Young people’s substance misuse treatment statistics 2020 to 2021: report – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
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[10] ASAM: American Society of Addiction Medicine ASAM Criteria
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