i've been smoking daily at least a gram, more often a half quarter per day, for 17 years. Whenever I stop smoking I get the no hunger, and insomnia for a few days. Then I have 3-5 weeks of crippling anxiety, my palms and soles sweating non-stop so I have to carry a rag to sop it up. My hands shake, I get hot and cold flashes where its like I'm cold inside my bones, then feverish, then both at the same time. Its painful and miserable and makes it impossible to do work or play, so I just go back to smoking.

I'm all for marijuana, I love it, I'm about to go smoke a joint after this comment is posted. It should be legalized and the nasty stereotypes surrounding it should fuck off. Buuuutt, I've clearly painted myself into a corner here and there is no denying the serious withdrawal symptoms that are reproducible.

I think there are some stoners who are so invested in it, and have spent so long defending the leaf, that when someone like me says that it causes withdrawals, they think I'm trying to paint MJ with the same brush as heroin, that I'm against it, and they come flying out of the woodwork to try explaining it away as psychological. Whether I'm in pain and uncontrollably sweating because of psychological effects, or physical effects, I'm still experiencing those symptoms and they're still caused by reducing my MJ intake.