The Number Of People Seeking Treatment For Marijuana Addiction More Than Doubled In California

By Dennis Romero Mon., Jan. 3 2011 at 12:54 PM

Angelic medicine, or the devil on your shoulder?

Marijuana might be medicine in California, but an alarming number of pot "patients" have ended up looking for the antidote to cannabis addiction.

According to a recently released U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report (PDF), the the number of people seeking treatment for dependence on bud has more than doubled in the years 1998 to 2008, from 52 per 100,000 people in '98 to 113 per 100,00 people in '08.

This rise, of course, correlates with the availability of medical pot. In fact ...

Nationwide, as 14 states have legalized medical marijuana, the "treatment rate" for those seeking help for pot abuse rose 31 percent over the ten-year span.

Pot ranked as the second most-popular drug people sought treatment for. The number one substance? You guessed it, alcohol. Except in California, where meth outranked hooch (and pot).

So there you have it. Marijuana. America's drug. (Besides alcohol).

Tags:

addiction, California, legalization, marijuana, pot

We Recommend

Itzach Stern

It is understandable that a person dealing with their partner’s marijuana addiction will feel frustrated, insecure and even angry at their partner’s unwillingness to change their ways.

cannabis withdrawal symptoms

Xiuli Lin

http://tinyurl.com/25dnfq5

dannyboy33

I have so many friends who swear up and down they are not addicted. Yet they are. They plan their lives around it. I personally don't care, just wish they would 'fess up to the fact that weed can be and often is addictive for some.

Xiuli Lin

http://tinyurl.com/25dnfq5

Joycehong123

"This rise, of course, correlates with the availability of medical pot." Mr. Romero are you sure about this.

17% of people in treatment for marijuana, thought they had a problem bad enough to refer themselves.http://stopthedrugwar.org/chro...

Xiuli Lin

http://tinyurl.com/25dnfq5

Chuckus Ruckus

Most marijuana offenders are forced to go into treatment as part of their sentencing, so put that in your pipe and smoke it! ;)Source: http://stopthedrugwar.org/chro...