Everyone Smoking Weed But CDC Can't Find Anyone Abusing It

More people are smoking marijuana, but fewer people are abusing it according to the CDC

CDC Sees Booming Marijuana Sales and No Reports of Abuse or Complaints from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

Some of us smoke cannabis daily. I for one am an avid smoker (now dabber) that has been smoking consistently for the past 19 years. When I was a kid, I must say that I would have fallen under the category of “abuser” as I smoked anywhere between 10 to 20 joints a day. Granted, the weed back then was not as “strong” or pure as it is today and for the most part you would buy Mexican Swhag (the first toke of many seasoned stoners).

Nowadays I get buy on less than a half a gram of concentrates and usually only partake at night after all my activities were completed. This is due to the fact that I learned how I operate under the influence of cannabis. I only spark up during the day when I feel that cannabis can help with the activities on my schedule such as making music, doodling or any other creative action I have set out.

I usually don’t smoke when I’m writing as my mind wanders into every corner of my sub-consciousness and distracts me from what I aim to achieve. This is especially true when I’m writing articles or blogs for clients. When I’m writing my fiction or anything similar that requires a creative edge, I usually take a toke or two and get to work.

Maturity in my smoking habits have allowed me to use this plant as a tool and thus no longer can I be classified as a marijuana abuser.

Is marijuana abuse really a thing?

the brain and cannabis

Well, it gets tricky here. For roughly 10% of the population, cannabis can become a “problem”. However, it is also important to note that these 10% do have addictive personalities and tend to “over-use” anything in their lives. Nonetheless, for this portion of cannabis tokers, they can have a dependency on cannabis that negatively affect their lives.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), people that have “marijuana abuse disorder” are considered dependent on cannabis; if they reported "health and emotional problems associated with [marijuana] use, unsuccessful attempts to reduce use, tolerance, withdrawal, reducing other activities to use [marijuana], spending a lot of time engaging in activities related to [marijuana] use, or using [marijuana] in greater quantities or for a longer time than intended," according to the CDC.

Similarly, respondents were considered abusers of marijuana if they reported "problems at work, home, and school; problems with family or friends; physical danger; and trouble with the law because of [marijuana] use."

Nonetheless, statistics show us that since 2002, when 16.7% of people were classified as “marijuana dependent”, we have seen a 30% drop in this occurrence. This despite the fact that more people are smoking marijuana now than ever before.

Why the numbers can’t really be trusted

I always take “statistics” with a grain of salt. Many of these so called “abusers” aren’t really dependent on cannabis but rather was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. When many users get busted by law enforcement, they are given the option to do mandatory drug counseling or go to prison. It’s a no brainer for most stoners; “sit and listen to some quack talk to me about addiction, or become someone’s bitch in prison.”

cannabis grinder

I would say, while there are some people that definitely express a dependence on cannabis, the numbers are far lower than indicated. Nonetheless, it’s good news that as society is becoming more tolerant on cannabis use, people are learning to handle themselves better. Delta-8 hemp products are now mainstream in America as the CBC has noted as well.

Just as I went from a teenage pothead to an adult cannabis user, so many people over time learn how to control their habits, to make it work for them. Cannabis isn’t about escaping reality, it’s about enhancing it. It’s about taking certain chemical reactions in your brain and focusing it on certain tasks to perform better.

It took me several years to understand how to properly use these substances (I include psychedelics which I take about four times a year) and how it can actually elevate your performance in life tasks.