Marijuana: A Second Class Addiction
Marijuana addiction rarely gets treated as a real diagnosis, and this film argues that gap in perception leaves people without help. Directed by John Smith, it follows several individuals who describe how their marijuana use escalated from casual to compulsive, and the fallout that followed: jobs lost, relationships strained, and finances wrecked. Each subject recalls believing they had full control over their habit before that control slipped away, and they speak plainly about how hard the drug was to quit once dependence set in. The film sets these accounts against the wider legalization debate, where marijuana is often described as non-addictive and low-risk, and asks what happens to people who don't fit that assumption. It also points to a practical consequence of that assumption: treatment programs and support resources for marijuana addiction are scarce compared to those for other substances, leaving its subjects with few places to turn.