Both caffeine and marijuana increase the dopamine levels in the individual (although caffeine also increases adrenaline levels and has other effects not associated with marijuana use). Caffeine is addictive whereas marijuana is not. In many ways that morning cup of coffee is far more dangerous than smoking marijuana.

Caffeine, Stress and Your Health: Is Caffeine Your Friend or Your Foe?

Actually Marijuana is addictive, and there is more going on than just the dopamine, and caffine doesn't increase the dopamine level nearly the same way marijuana does. You might want to come up with a better comparision.

Caffeine-both physically and emotionally (psychologically) addictive.

cannabis-only emotionally addictive.

I said this before, for a drug to be physically addictive it has to introduce new receptors in your brain, nicotine and other drugs does this but cannabis does not.

It doesn't have to introduce new receptors into the brain, it just needs to stimulate the release of chemicals that the brain does naturally, so the brain starts to think that it doesn't need to make it's own chemicals, so when you stop, your brain doesn't want to make the chemicals, it just wants you to take the drug.

Which is true for both drugs but since caffeine releases chemicals related to sleep its physical hold is far greater. The withdraw symptoms for cannabis (if there are any) are very mild.

Yes, they are very mild (irritability and lack of energy are about as bad as they get), but it is still addictive, and it is still a drug that (when used illegally) doesn't benefit people any more than other, legal, methods can.

I have never heard of either of the symptoms you mention being associated with discontinuing the use of marijuana. We do know that caffeine is physically addictive and can cause extreme physical withdrawal symptoms such as severe headaches and even nausea.

It is basically accepted that marijuana is not physically addictive and no evidence has ever been presented that I am aware of that contradicts this.

There are many myths associated with marijuana usage that simple aren't true and have no support in the scientific community. Beliefs that it dulls the senses or reduces thought capabilities etc. are not founded in fact.

I would disagree that those are extreme withdrawals, but I live in a place that has a big Meth problem and it's withdrawals are second to none.

Actually there is a lot of support in the scientific community towards those. Most studies have shown this to be true. When pregnant women smoke it, they are destroying brain cells in their unborn babies, and this causes them to have reduced thought capabilities. I can go back and find the link that was posted by a pro-legalize person where they linked to a scientist that is for legalization and admits that the facts and studies show this.

Have you not read any of this debate's progress before now? You continue to disregard the evidence that's been posted numerous times. Read the evidence that's been posted. Your posts consist of your own biased, unsupported opinions and yet you seem to think you can still logically deny the facts that are right in front of you. This is debate. It doesn't work like that. I've already posted pages and pages of sources, but since you're apparently too apathetic to find it, I'll find some new ones and proceed to refute your position from scratch. I don't mind, I love a challenge--although I don't know if that'd be the right word to use:

Marijuana Information from Drugs.com

Oh I'm sorry, what were you babbling about in regard to marijuana not causing all the above side-effects? Needless to say, those biased fallacies you were throwing out on the table--the ones in which you completely downplayed the very harmful side-effects of marijuana use and cessation--were completely refuted by that one source. But, since I'm enjoying this, here's another:

BBC | Health: News In Brief




I don't even know where the hell you got this idea:
With evidence (note--evidence) I debunked that absurd opinionated theory, and I strengthened the case against marijuana by providing even more insight into studies showing that marijuana cessation can lead to unnecessary and spontaneous aggression as well.

Start reading the facts instead of ignoring them. When you overlook sources posted by the opposition, strawman opposing arguments, and repeat your own biased opinions, it accomplishes nothing for your position in such a debate as this.

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It took me a while to read your "sources" (i.e. news articles) and I apologize for not providing more sources but let us examine yours.

Interesting news articles of which I had read a couple before. Of course they tend to support the beliefs of the “Establishment” and they do not present the actual studies which can be analyzed but they do provide some interesting thoughts that can be explored.

For example, from the first article:
A quick review of the statement leads immediately to the question of how many of the 535 patients admitted for marijuana-induced psychotic episodes were psychotic before they smoke marijuana? Had they had previous psychotic episodes that were not diagnosed? Were the subsequent psychotic episodes in anyway marijuana related? We do know that schizophrenia has been linked to dopamine imbalances and, of course any altering of dopamine levels in someone that is already psychotic could lead to schizophrenia type symptoms.

As with the other links the questions always arise as to whether the subjects already have a mental disorder such as a psychosis or did it originate with the use of marijuana. If we look at the estimated usage of marijuana in the US is estimated at about 50 million people one would anticipate hundreds of thousands of cases of marijuana induced psychosis annually and that simply isn't the case. With 50 million users in the US alone it would be an epidemic but no such epidemic has ever been reported.

Psychosis is relatively common in the general population and the extremely low numbers of marijuana induced psychotic events might lead me to a possible belief that marijuana may actually be effective in combating psychosis. I would love to see a study on that, wouldn't you?

The BBC news article touches on a point related to young people and psychosis:


Once again it is pointing to people that have a genetic predisposition toward psychosis. In other words, it isn't linked to creating the problem but to perhaps aggravating it. Hey, I can buy this argument. If someone has a predisposition towards being psychotic I wouldn't recommend them smoking pot just like I wouldn't recommend eating sugar to a diabetic.

But it is interesting reading although it doesn't establish any facts related to marijuana causing mental illness. It does point to the fact that mentally ill people probably shouldn't smoke marijuana. Smoking pot isn't for everyone and that's a fact.

At the same time there still isn't a rational justification for it being illegal.