Cannabis Use Disorder: Am I Addicted? Self-Assessment Guide

Science

30%

Roughly 30% of current cannabis users meet DSM-5 criteria for Cannabis Use Disorder, and meeting just 2 of 11 behavioral criteria in a 12-month window is enough for a clinical diagnosis.

Hasin et al., JAMA Psychiatry, 2015

Hasin et al., JAMA Psychiatry, 2015

View as image

The cannabis use disorder test you are looking for is not a blood draw or a brain scan. It is a set of 11 behavioral and physical criteria, published in the DSM-5 (the diagnostic manual used by every psychiatrist and psychologist in the country), that measure whether your cannabis use has crossed from recreational into problematic territory. What follows is a self-assessment guide that walks you through each one in plain language, with honest questions to ask yourself along the way.

This is not about labeling you. It is about giving you information. What you do with it is entirely your call. If you are still sorting out the basic question of whether cannabis can even be addictive, the guide on what the research actually shows about weed and addiction is a good place to start.

How This Self-Assessment Works

Science

DSM-5 Cannabis Use Disorder: Severity Scale

0–1 criteria

No diagnosis

Cannabis use does not meet clinical threshold

2–3 criteria

Mild CUD

Early warning signs — worth monitoring

4–5 criteria

Moderate CUD

Significant impact on functioning

6+ criteria

Severe CUD

Professional evaluation recommended

The 11 DSM-5 criteria:

1. Using more than planned2. Failed attempts to cut down3. Significant time spent on cannabis4. Cravings5. Failing obligations6. Continued use despite social problems7. Giving up activities8. Use in dangerous situations9. Continued use despite physical/psychological harm10. Tolerance11. Withdrawal

Source: DSM-5 (APA, 2013); Bahji et al. (2020)DSM-5 Cannabis Use Disorder: Severity Scale

The DSM-5 defines Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) by 11 criteria. A clinician would evaluate these through a structured interview. You can evaluate them through honest self-reflection.

For each criterion below, read the description, then sit with the "ask yourself" prompt. Do not rush through it. Think about the past 12 months specifically. If a criterion clearly applies to your experience, count it. If it is borderline, note it and keep going. You will interpret your total at the end.

If you want a broader look at the signs of cannabis use disorder, that article covers the clinical landscape in full. This article is designed as a focused evaluation tool.

The 11 DSM-5 Criteria for Cannabis Use Disorder

1. Using More Than You Planned

The clinical term is "taking cannabis in larger amounts or over a longer period than intended." In practice, this means you set a limit and consistently blow past it. You plan to take one hit and finish the bowl. You plan to use only on weekends and find yourself lighting up on Tuesday.

Ask yourself: Over the past year, how often have you used more cannabis than you originally intended, whether in amount or in duration? Is the gap between your plan and your actual use a pattern, or a rare exception?

2. Unsuccessful Attempts to Cut Down

This criterion measures whether you have tried to reduce or stop your cannabis use and been unable to follow through. The key word is "persistent." One failed attempt does not meet this. A recurring cycle of setting limits and breaking them does.

Ask yourself: Have you made a genuine effort to cut back or quit in the past 12 months? If so, what happened? Did the reduction last, or did you return to your previous pattern?

3. Significant Time Spent on Cannabis Activities

This includes time spent obtaining cannabis, using it, and recovering from its effects. If your morning fog from the night before eats into your productivity, that counts. If a meaningful chunk of your week revolves around planning, purchasing, and using, this criterion is likely in play.

Ask yourself: If you tracked every hour spent buying, preparing, using, and recovering from cannabis over the past month, what would that total look like? Does it surprise you?

4. Cravings

Cravings are a strong urge or desire to use cannabis. They feel different from a casual preference. A craving has a pull to it, an insistence. You might notice it when you are stressed, bored, or in a specific environment you associate with use.

Ask yourself: When you go several hours or a day without cannabis, do you feel a noticeable pull to use? Does the thought of not having access to cannabis create anxiety or restlessness?

5. Failing to Meet Responsibilities

This criterion asks whether your cannabis use has directly caused you to fall short at work, school, or home. Missed deadlines. Underperformance. Forgotten commitments. Showing up foggy or depleted when you needed to be sharp.

Ask yourself: Can you point to specific instances in the past year where cannabis use (or its aftereffects) directly caused you to miss, underperform, or neglect something important?

6. Continued Use Despite Relationship Problems

This is not about people who simply disapprove of cannabis. It is about relationships that have developed real friction because of your use, where you are aware of the friction and continue using anyway. Arguments with a partner. Distance from friends. Tension with family.

Ask yourself: Has anyone close to you expressed concern about your cannabis use in the past year? Has your use contributed to conflict or distance in a relationship that matters to you?

7. Giving Up Activities You Used to Value

This criterion measures whether cannabis has gradually replaced other parts of your life. Hobbies you dropped. Social events you skip. Fitness routines you abandoned. The shift often happens slowly, without a conscious decision, which is part of what makes it hard to see.

Ask yourself: Are there activities, hobbies, or social connections you used to enjoy that have faded since your cannabis use increased? If you compared how you spend your time now to two years ago, what changed?

8. Use in Hazardous Situations

This means using cannabis in situations where impairment creates physical risk. Driving while high is the most common example. Operating equipment, caring for young children while significantly impaired, or using in any context where your reaction time and judgment need to be reliable.

Ask yourself: Have you driven, operated machinery, or been in a situation requiring full alertness while high in the past year? How often?

9. Continued Use Despite Physical or Psychological Problems

This criterion is not about whether cannabis causes harm in general. It is about whether you are aware that cannabis is worsening a specific problem in your life and you continue using anyway. A chronic cough that is clearly from smoking. Anxiety that gets worse with use. Sleep issues that you know cannabis is contributing to.

Ask yourself: Is there a physical symptom or mental health concern that you suspect cannabis is making worse? If so, have you continued using despite that awareness?

10. Tolerance

Tolerance means you need more cannabis to achieve the same effect, or that the same amount produces a noticeably weaker effect than it used to. A 2012 study in Molecular Psychiatry showed that daily cannabis use causes your brain to reduce the number of available CB1 receptors, the receptors THC binds to. Fewer receptors means you need more THC to get the same result.

Ask yourself: Do you need significantly more cannabis to feel the same effects you used to get from a smaller amount? Have you switched to higher-potency products because your usual dose stopped working?

11. Withdrawal

Cannabis withdrawal is recognized in the DSM-5 as a clinical condition. Symptoms include irritability, sleep disruption, decreased appetite, restlessness, anxiety, and physical discomfort. A meta-analysis by Bahji and colleagues (2020), published in JAMA Network Open, found that roughly 47% of regular cannabis users experience clinically significant withdrawal when they stop.^[1]

For a detailed breakdown, see the complete cannabis withdrawal guide.

Ask yourself: When you go without cannabis for a day or two, do you notice irritability, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, or anxiety? Do you ever use specifically to avoid those feelings?

Interpreting Your Result: The Cannabis Use Disorder Severity Scale

Count the number of criteria that clearly applied to you over the past 12 months. Here is how the DSM-5 categorizes the result.

0-1 criteria: You do not meet the threshold for a Cannabis Use Disorder diagnosis. That does not necessarily mean your use is risk-free, but it does mean the clinical pattern is not present.

2-3 criteria (Mild CUD). Your use has crossed into a clinical threshold, but the impact is relatively contained. Many people at this level experience tolerance plus one or two behavioral criteria. Mild CUD does not mean your life is falling apart. It means a pattern has developed that deserves attention. Self-directed changes, like a structured tolerance break or a deliberate shift in your use routine, can be effective at this level.

4-5 criteria (Moderate CUD). Cannabis use is affecting multiple areas of your life. You are likely experiencing a combination of physical symptoms and behavioral patterns. At this level, professional guidance can make a meaningful difference. A therapist who understands substance use can help you build strategies that self-discipline alone may not provide.

6 or more criteria (Severe CUD). Cannabis has become a dominant force in your daily functioning, affecting health, relationships, responsibilities, and well-being at the same time. Professional support is strongly recommended. Research suggests that moderation is significantly less likely to succeed at this severity, and a period of full abstinence, with support, tends to produce better outcomes.

Epidemiology

Who gets diagnosed? CUD rates by group

Men

3.5%

Women

1.7%

Ages 18–24

7.5%

Ages 25–34

4.2%

Ages 35–44

2.1%

Ages 45+

1%

Native American

5.5%

Black

3.4%

White

2.5%

Hispanic

2.2%

12-month prevalence of DSM-5 Cannabis Use Disorder among U.S. adults. Young adults aged 18–24 are roughly 7× more likely to meet criteria than those 45 and older.

Source: Hasin et al. (2016), Am J Psychiatry

View as image

What to Do With Your Number

If you scored 0-1, the most useful thing you can do is stay honest with yourself over time. Use patterns can shift gradually. Checking in with yourself periodically keeps you ahead of any drift.

If you scored 2-3, consider reading through should I quit weed as a decision-making framework. Mild CUD often responds well to intentional changes without formal treatment. A tolerance break, new boundaries around when and how much you use, or shifting to lower-potency products are all reasonable starting points.

If you scored 4 or higher, talking to a professional is worth serious consideration. Not because someone with a clipboard needs to tell you what to do, but because structured support gives you tools that willpower alone rarely provides. If you decide that quitting is the right move, how to quit weed walks through the process in practical terms.

Whatever your score, understanding the science behind whether weed is addictive can help you make sense of what is happening at a biological level. This is not a moral failing. It is a neurochemical pattern, and patterns can be changed.

Treatment Access

The treatment gap: most people with CUD never get help

86.8%untreated

13.2% received treatment

Participated in 12-step programs or professional treatment at some point in their lifetime

86.8% never received treatment

Nearly 9 out of 10 people who develop Cannabis Use Disorder never access any form of professional support

Among those with lifetime CUD, only about 1 in 8 ever got help. Many don't recognize the pattern, don't think it's serious enough, or don't know where to go.

Source: Hasin et al. (2016), Am J Psychiatry

View as image

When to Seek Professional Help

If you meet criteria for moderate or severe CUD, if you have tried to quit or cut back multiple times without success, or if your cannabis use is significantly affecting your mental health or daily functioning, professional support can make a real difference.

SAMHSA's National Helpline is available at 1-800-662-4357. It is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also text "HELLO" to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.

The Fact That You Took This Seriously Matters

Most people never sit down and evaluate their cannabis use against clinical criteria. The fact that you searched for a cannabis use disorder test, read through each criterion, and answered honestly puts you ahead of where most people ever get. Whether your count was zero or ten, you now have a clearer picture of where you stand. Clarity is not a verdict. It is a starting point, and starting points are where real change begins.

Safety

Moderate

Severe CUD requires professional support

Concern

If you scored 6 or higher on this assessment, your cannabis use is affecting multiple areas of your life simultaneously. Research shows that moderation strategies are significantly less effective at this severity level, and attempting to quit without support increases relapse risk.

What the research says

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational enhancement therapy, and structured support programs have demonstrated effectiveness for severe CUD. The combination of professional guidance and peer support produces better outcomes than either alone.

Particularly relevant for: Anyone scoring 6+ on the DSM-5 criteria

What to do

Call SAMHSA's helpline at 1-800-662-4357 (free, confidential, 24/7) or text HELLO to 741741. Ask your doctor for a referral to a substance use specialist. You don't need to have hit rock bottom to deserve help.

Hasin et al. (2016), Am J Psychiatry; DSM-5

The Bottom Line

Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) is defined by 11 DSM-5 behavioral and physical criteria, with meeting just 2 within a 12-month period qualifying as a clinical diagnosis. Severity is scored on a spectrum: mild (2-3 criteria), moderate (4-5), and severe (6+). Approximately 30% of current cannabis users meet criteria for some level of CUD. The 11 criteria cover using more than planned, failed cut-down attempts, significant time spent on cannabis activities, cravings, failing responsibilities, continued use despite relationship problems, giving up valued activities, use in hazardous situations, continued use despite known harm, tolerance, and withdrawal. CUD prevalence among U.S. adults doubled between 2001 and 2013. Mild CUD often responds to intentional self-directed changes, while moderate to severe CUD benefits from professional support including cognitive behavioral therapy. This self-assessment is not a clinical diagnosis but provides a structured framework for honest evaluation.