On Nov. 8, Californians voted for our nation's next president, and we also voted on a series of propositions. One of the most watched of these propositions was Proposition 64, the legalization of the use of marijuana. About 13 million Californians voted on Proposition 64, and 56 percent were in favor, thus passing the law.

In 1996, Proposition 215 had legalized medical marijuana, so how is Proposition 64 any different? It legalizes recreational use — with restrictions.

You have to be 21 years or older, much like the legal drinking age in the U.S. You must be in the privacy of your home or at a business that is licensed for marijuana consumption. Does this mean we will be seeing marijuana bars in the future? Or does this mean our nonsmoking bars will now have a section allowing the smoking of marijuana?

Additionally, businesses cannot sell within 600 feet of daycare centers, schools or youth centers. As far as driving goes, it is prohibited while under the influence of marijuana.

There are many questions to which we do not know the answer yet, but if there is a mimicry of how alcohol consumption is allowed, then there is little left to the imagination.

But what does this mean for healthcare providers? Will an influx of patients come in for marijuana dependency because it is now legal, and thus more accessible?

Per the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 10 percent of marijuana users will abuse the drug to the point of dependency. We know from neurochemical dependency research that the active ingredient in the plant of cannabis is THC.

According to Healthline, "One study found that people who use marijuana have fewer receptors in their brain for endogenous cannabinoids, the signaling molecules that marijuana's active component, THC, mimics. THC also affects the brain's reward system and the release of the 'pleasure hormone' dopamine."

Dopamine has long been known to be the reason behind dependency, but why is marijuana less "addicting" than other drugs out there?

Nora Volkow, Ph.D., who has contributed much research to the field of chemical dependency, states that those who abuse marijuana have a neuroanatomical makeup that responds less to dopamine. Volkow also goes on to say that this is a result of marijuana use, not because the users have a genetic predisposition. However, there is not enough substantial empirical research to make this assumption as genetics may have more to do with it than we think.

With all that said, why are the same regulations being used for marijuana that are used for alcohol consumption, which has much more addictive properties? In fact, alcohol in the United States is the most commonly used chemically dependent substance, with 1 in 12 adults suffering from abuse or dependency of it.

Perhaps it is because we do not know how we will react as a society to the legalization of marijuana, and the regulations may change over time. However, for now, this approach may be the best way until we have fully gained a picture on how the legalization of marijuana will affect us as a whole. Then, we can analyze how it will affect those of us who work in the field of chemical dependency.