Marijuana Treatment - An Interview with Dr. Alan Budney

Alan J. Budney, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Vermont. His current research focuses on understanding marijuana withdrawal and behavioral treatments for adult and adolescent marijuana abuse.

"Within the last few years, experts have started looking more closely at marijuana withdrawal. It looks like we've now identified a marijuana withdrawal syndrome." Dr. Alan Budney says. Notably, marijuana was found to react in the brain like other drugs of abuse, such as heroin, sedatives and cocaine. Budney goes on to say, "It's very similar to what we see with nicotine withdrawal. When people stop smoking cigarettes, they get irritable, have sleep problems or appetite changes. They may get a little depressed and crave cigarettes. All those same types of things seem to occur when heavy marijuana users stop smoking marijuana." Common symptoms triggered by marijuana withdrawal include irritability, sleep difficulty, restlessness, decreased appetite, weight loss, and increased anger or aggression. Some people also report increased drug cravings, depressed moods, and physical symptoms such as stomach pains, but on a less frequent basis.

When asked whether personal attributes can encourage marijuana dependency, Budney listed several characteristics that can increase the likelihood of addiction, including existing psychiatric problems (i.e. ADD, conduct disorder, anxiety, depression, etc.), a family history of substance abuse, peers who use marijuana and prior experience with other drugs such as tobacco. Budney adds, "Youth are uniquely vulnerable to marijuana dependency, because they have fewer responsibilities that can direct their behavior elsewhere, away from drug use."

According to Budney, treatment for marijuana dependency has increased within the past 10 years. "Prior to that, there was a low percentage seeking treatment for marijuana as the primary drug of abuse, (but) now it's one of the main drugs people list. Among adolescents, marijuana is the primary drug they seek treatment for and at a higher prevalence rate than all other drugs combined." He speculates this rise in treatment admissions may be the result of several factors - a rise in the judicial and school systems' sending people to treatment instead of through criminal prosecution or expulsion, as well as possible increases in drug testing that lead to greater detection of marijuana use.

Although there are effective treatments for marijuana dependency, Budney emphasizes that the habit is just as hard to quit as with other drugs of abuse. He remarks, "Since so many people have tried marijuana and quit, it seems like it's not an addictive drug, (but) I try to let people know that it's just an illusion. It is addictive and there are plenty of people who have dependency problems. People may have stopped (using) without any difficulty but that doesn't mean it doesn't have the potential to grab somebody."

For more information on marijuana, click here.