Cannabis Criteria

many as 48 states. According to Roger Roth-man a professor at University of Washington who has done extensive study on cannabis use that the dependence based criteria in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which was published in 1987 had at least 7 criteria’s for the diagnosis of dependence and at least 3 criteria’s are experienced in a 1 month period are:

• The substance was taken in larger amounts or over a longer period of time than ones has intended

• A persistent desire or one or more efforts that are unsuccessful to cut down or control the substance use

• A significant amount of time in getting the substance, taking the substance, and actually recovering from it

• Having frequent intoxications

Many are critical of the criteria because it’s viewed as a mental disorder and it was made when marijuana was illegal in 50 states. Now the DSM is in its fifth edition and have shifted in its terminology from dependence to ‘cannabis use disorder’and is now defined as a problematic pattern of cannabis use and has manifested by at least two of the 11 criteria which occurs in a 12 month period are:

• Using more and for longer periods than intended

• A great desire to cut back

• A lot of time using the substance

• Having a stronger craving for its

It has been frequently reported that experienced marijuana smokers tend to become intoxicated more quickly and to a greater extent than most inexperienced smokers, when they are exposed to marijuana joints with equivalent THC concentrations (Levinthal, 2012). For many years, this observation has suggested that repeated administrations of marijuana have produced sensitization, or reverse tolerance a lesser sensitivity (Levinthal, 2012). In a study, abstinence from smoking marijuana cigarettes with an approximately 2% to 3% THC levels or equivalent oral doses of THC, that’s administered four times a day over a four day period, has resulted in feelings of irritability, stomach pain, anxiety and loss of appetite that began within forty-eight hours and lasted about 2 days after withdrawal (Levinthal, 2012). There are 4 main ideas that can be associated with relapse prevention on why people seek treatment (Melemis, S.M.,