“Because the symptoms of marijuana withdrawal are somewhat mild compared to other drugs, people often believe that marijuana is not addictive. After all, those who quit generally experience fairly subtle physiological signs of withdrawal – a mildly elevated pulse, irritability and cravings…
Just because the signs of cannabis withdrawal are comparatively mild, though, doesn’t mean it isn’t addictive. Being addicted to something is more than simply being physically dependent on a drug and experiencing physiological effects if it’s suddenly stopped. ‘Addiction’ refers to behaviors that are compulsive and partially out of control or worse…
The best estimates are that 9% of marijuana users are dependent. That is less than the number of users of tobacco (32%) or alcohol (approximately 10-15%) who become dependent on those substances.”
Jan. 14, 2015
J. Wesley Boyd, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, stated the following in his Jan. 14, 2015 article titled "Will Legal Marijuana Lead to More Addicts? Probably Not," available at theconversation.com: