Marijuana Addiction - Lies, Lies and a little Fantasy For Good Measure

Someone is at it again. Sourcing anti-marijuana drivel from another document library called 'ezine Articles'.

This one, titled 'Marijuana Addiction', has been posted on a blog called 'Health Medical Information - Useful Health Medical Articles for Every Health Resolution'.

Or, according to the 'About' page:-

themedicalcenters.com is a personal blog Information and global resources on all health topics. Here we have lots of useful articles will guide to enjoy your life in a healthy way.
kunfaiakun-at-gmail-dot-com

The 'Addiction Recovery Blog' also used this article back in June of 2009.

The original author of the article is apparently Anu Seth -

http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Anu_Seth

Anu Seth says of herself:

I enjoy writing and sharing my thoughts and beliefs with others. Turning an uninteresting topic into a gripping article, with well researched facts and eloquent use of the english language, is my way of spending time fruitfully.

Below is the article in question. The one that the title of this post refers to. I have taken the liberty of correcting some of  Ms Seths errors. She may or may not wish to update her text to to correct the errors.

Marijuana is a tobacco-like substance, dull in colors like green, gray or brown, made up of dried leaves, stems, seeds and flowers of the hemp plant. Known by over 200 names, it is an addictive substance commonly referred to as pot, herb, weed, grass, boom and hashish is its stronger form. In whatever form it is taken, it alters the way the mind works as it contains an active chemical called THC, or delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol. Initially used for medication and healing, it became dangerous, dreaded drug in the 1970s as its addictive powers gripped thousands and became a forbidden drug that was smuggled into countries...

Cannabis can be psychologically addictive for some people. It is not physically addictive.

Marijuana is terribly addictive and obsessive. It is smoked almost like a cigarette and gets absorbed into the body almost instantaneously. It reaches the brain and united with receptors of nerve cells, affecting that part of the brain, which controls pleasure, thought, concentration, memory and coordination. It then impedes these activities. A person gets addicted to it very easily and it is peddled so much that it is often easier to procure than alcohol. Addicts think about the drug all the time, where and how to get it, how to raise funds for it, forgetting values and principles just to be able to get marijuana, and the fear of not getting it in the future. The biggest problem of its addiction is the body's physical craving for marijuana, and more and more quantities are required to reach that level of bliss.

The above paragraph made me laugh. I think this might come straight from the script of 'Reefer Madness', that  1936 anti-pot propaganda film. I refuse to disprove text that is based on the authors opinion. The above paragraph is so far from the truth that it should be classed as fiction. Please Anu Seth, DO SOME RESEARCH *before* you attempt to write an 'authoritative' article on the subject.

Marijuana addiction is far tougher to shake off than alcohol. It is so addictive that the individual is unable to give up when he knows its ill effects and the consequences of its addiction. It gets him caught in the vicious circle of wanting to take it to escape the consequences of its consumption. The stigma attached to it engulfs family members as well.

 Is this article about Marijuana? Sounds more like it's describing chronic Heroin addiction, or a long term Methamphetamine addiction.

Firstly, Alcohol addiction is not only harder to break than cannabis dependency, alcohol is also poisonous to the body. This article, http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/6/1/35
 describes a small study that shows how cannabis can be an extremely effective in treating alcohol addiction.
Further, in terms of cannabis and addiction, the withdrawal effects have been ascertained to be less problematic than caffeine withdrawal.
There are some comparisons of different drugs and their addictiveness ratings available here at ProCon.org.
The comparisons are from medical professionals and consistently rate marijuana as the least addictive of the drugs, including caffeine.

Marijuana addiction leads to problems with remembering, incoherence, inability to learn and leads to absenteeism, lack of seriousness at work. This could culminate in losing one's job and earning capability. It would also turn him into a social outcast often disowned by friends, and sometimes even by family. A marijuana addict is even treated as a threat to society and many steer clear o him for fear of getting dragged into this addiction.

 Another paragraph from the Reefer Madness script. This must just be padding to get the word count up. Once again, I won't insult my readers' intelligence by pointing out the ignorance of this paragraph.

This addiction is really like a disease, which needs to be treated over a period of time with medication and counseling. Behavioral therapy adopted by some organizations committed to eradicating marijuana addiction are known to get encouraging results in hundreds of cases. An example of one such organization is the Spencer Recovery Center, which hires professionals only to treat marijuana addicts and have a fantastic success rate due to their committed approach.

The final paragraph appears to be an endorsement fora rehab center. Maybe Anu is on commision to write articles like this. Nooooo.

Anu Seth, if you do happen to read this, please, please, please don't perpetuate the marijuana myths of the 30's. All it does is lower your credibility as an author and lead people to doubt the authority of any of the other articles you've written for 'ezine articles'.