Is Marijuana Addictive? (DEBATE)

The Great Debate: Is Marijuana Addictive?

Marijuana ranked number one in a recent article on the top five most commonly abused prescription drugs used by post 50s. According to a 2011 report from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 3 million adults older than 50 have illegally used the drug and "out of 4.8 million older adults who used illicit drugs, marijuana use was more common than non-medical use of prescription medicines among the 50-to-59 age range."

This led to cries of distinguishing between "addiction" and "dependency," with many readers claiming marijuana isn't actually addictive at all. So Huff/Post50 asked some professionals to weigh in on the matter. Doctors Robert DuPont and Andrea Barthwell are members of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and say that marijuana is addictive. Laurel Dewey -- who says marijuana is not addictive -- is the author of "Betty's (Little Basement) Garden," the first fictional novel that deals with medical marijuana in Colorado from the patient/caregiver perspective.

What do you think? And will their arguments change your mind?

CORRECTION: An earlier version of Laurel Dewey's post referenced a 1974 study from the University of Virginia. The study was actually conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University.

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