Cannabis is the clinical umbrella term for every product made from the Cannabis sativa plant, not just the dried flower people picture when they hear marijuana. It covers hashish, concentrates such as wax and shatter, vape oils, and edibles, each delivering THC at a different speed. THC acts on brain regions that govern decision making, memory, and emotion. Potency is why the term matters now: flower commonly tests between 15 and 25 percent THC, and concentrates can exceed 70 percent.
What Cannabis Use Disorder Is, and How Clinicians Diagnose It
Cannabis Use Disorder is a substance use disorder recognized in the DSM-5. Clinicians weigh eleven criteria across four areas: impaired control, social or work impairment, risky use, and physical signs like tolerance and withdrawal. Using more than planned, failed attempts to cut back, and driving while high all count. Two criteria within twelve months is enough for a diagnosis. Two or three indicate mild, four or five moderate, six or more severe. Roughly three in ten people who use cannabis develop some degree of it, and risk climbs with earlier first use, heavier use, and stronger products. It rarely travels alone. Anxiety, depression, and PTSD often sit underneath it, so a sound assessment looks at the whole person, not the cannabis alone.
Cannabis Withdrawal, and How Cannabis Addiction Is Treated
Withdrawal is real. Symptoms usually begin one to three days after heavy, long-term use stops: irritability, anxiety, restlessness, vivid dreams, low appetite, and stomach upset. They peak in the first week and ease over the next one to two, though disrupted sleep can linger. Medical supervision makes that stretch safer, especially for someone already managing a mood condition. High-potency products carry added risk of acute anxiety and, in vulnerable people, cannabis-associated psychosis. No FDA-approved medication for cannabis use disorder exists yet, so treatment leans on behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and contingency management are the mainstays, paired with care for any trauma or mental health condition underneath.
