When Relief Becomes Reliance: High‑Potency Cannabis and the Rise of Daily Use

For years, 75-year-old Miguel Laboy began each morning in his Brookline, Massachusetts, apartment with a joint alongside his coffee. He tells himself he will stop the next day, but the routine usually returns. "What bothers me is having cannabis on my mind first thing in the morning," he said as he lit a blunt. "I'd like to get up one day and not smoke. But you see how that's going."

Since legalization and commercialization, daily cannabis use has become an integral—and often hidden—part of many people's lives. The market is now dominated by high-potency vape oils and concentrates, and clinicians warn these products can blur the line between symptom relief and dependence. Across the United States, many who initially turned to cannabis for help are finding it increasingly difficult to quit.

Products, potency and a shifting landscape

Although alcohol still has wider overall use, a notable shift began in 2022: the number of Americans who use cannabis daily surpassed the number who drink alcohol every day. Researchers attribute much of that change to new products that contain far higher levels of THC than older forms of marijuana — vape oils and concentrates that can reach roughly 80% to 95% THC. Like most states, Massachusetts places no cap on product strength.

Physicians caution that daily use of high-potency cannabis can impair memory, disrupt sleep, worsen anxiety or depression, and lead to cannabis use disorder in ways past generations did not typically experience. Because marijuana still carries a reputation as harmless for some users, the harms often arrive slowly: brain fog, irritability and growing reliance that can be easy to miss.

How a habit becomes an addiction

Laboy, a retired chef, began seeing a substance-use counselor after reporting depression, lack of motivation and growing isolation as his drinking and cannabis use climbed. Naltrexone helped him stop drinking, but he has not been able to quit marijuana. Unlike alcohol or opioids, there is no FDA-approved medication to treat cannabis addiction, although research into pharmacological options is ongoing.

Laboy first tried cannabis at 18 and has long used it to soothe symptoms tied to undiagnosed ADHD, childhood trauma and painful life events including cancer treatment and his son's death. For decades working in restaurant kitchens he considered himself a "functional pothead." Since retiring, however, his consumption turned compulsive: he began vaping cartridges labeled at about 85% THC. "These days I carry two things in my hands: my vape and my phone — that's it," he said. He appreciates that cannabis eases his anxiety and "settles his spirit," but he also notices it has eroded his concentration. Despite six months with an addiction psychiatrist, cutting back has proven elusive.

Young users: clarity only when high

A 20-year-old Boston University student who asked to be identified only as Kyle because he buys cannabis illegally says marijuana calmed panic attacks he has experienced since high school. He shares an apartment where a communal bong is common. When high, he feels calm and able to process anxious thoughts with gratitude, but that clarity has become harder to access when sober. "Now I can only do it when I'm high, which is scary," he said. He and others describe brain fog and a sense of detachment that creep in gradually until they become the "new normal."

From dream job to dependence

Anne Hassel, 58, once worked at a dispensary after leaving a career in physical therapy. Within a year, she said, the job turned into a nightmare. After trying a "dab" — a nearly instantaneous, intense high — she began using 90% THC concentrate several times a day. Her use quickly became debilitating: she lost interest in activities she loved and withdrew from friends. She recovered with the support of a friend and by reconnecting with physical activity, such as motorcycle riding.

Communities and clinicians

Online communities reflect that awakening. The Reddit forum r/leaves, founded by Dave Bushnell, has more than 380,000 members who are trying to cut back or quit. Posters describe the same push-pull: craving cannabis' calming effect while feeling trapped by cognitive fog and regret.

"When people talk about legalizing a drug, they're really talking about commercializing it," said Dave Bushnell. "We've built an industry optimized to sell as much as possible."

Clinicians say clearer education and better clinical guidance are needed. Dr. Jordan Tishler, who treats medical cannabis patients, says low THC doses paired with higher CBD may help some patients with anxiety, while many high-THC products can worsen symptoms. "It's a medicine," he said. "It can be useful, but it can also be dangerous — and access without guidance is dangerous."

Dr. Kevin Hill, director of addiction services at a major Boston medical center who specializes in cannabis use disorder, emphasizes a major gap in knowledge among both consumers and clinicians. He argues the conversation should focus on balance and informed decision-making rather than prohibition. "For most people, the risks outweigh the benefits," he said.

What needs to change

Experts call for better education for consumers and clinicians, clearer labeling and potency limits where appropriate, and more research into treatments for cannabis use disorder. For many users, the shift from therapeutic relief to compulsion is quiet and gradual — and that subtlety is what makes it so hard to recognize and address.