In the interest of dispelling some of the misconceptions about marijuana, let me first preface with my firm belief that it is by far the least harmful drug out there, much less so than  alcohol, and that I believe it should be legalized. That said, there is research to show that if chemical dependency on a drug is defined by withdrawal effects, then marijuana can indeed be chemically addictive.

Do you get the shakes like alcohol? No. Do you get severe nausea like heroin? No. Do you get violent outbursts like crystal meth or cocaine? No. When I decided to quit smoking pot and checked myself into an out-patient rehab program, it wasn't as someone whose life had completely spun out of control. There was no intervention by friends and family or some court-ordered mandate. As my therapist told me, I could have continued using pot the way I had been for the rest of my life. That wasn't the issue. The issue was that you only get to live once and that pot, when used every day, can inhibit one's ability to live life to its fullest. The problem was that I had grown so accustomed to being constantly stoned since my teenage years, that I'd failed to learn how to relate to my emotions and to develop many of the skills suited to successful adulthood.