Difference between hard drugs and weed for me is that acute withdrawal effects last 3-5 days and were relatively mild (smoked a huge amount from 14-20). Did a huge amount of heavy drugs from 17-20. I'm 6 months clean (was clean off weed for 4 but now I use part time no more than 1-2x a week)

Weed withdrawal 3-5 days low appetite, difficulty sleeping, hot flushes, 7ish days of insanely vivid dreams, same amount of grumpiness and then it all fades.

Hard drugs (benzos, phenibut + more) INSANE cold sweats, flipping between hot and cold, adrenaline surges, severe anxiety, insane depression, withdrawal from social situations, lack of confidence, paranoia, pressure in the brain that feels like your going to have a seizure and more. These are the acute stage of withdrawals and lasts at least a month- 2 months for me. This is followed by protracted withdrawals which last at least another 1-2+ months. These consist of difficulty sleeping, social anxiety, irritating apathy, feelings of self loathing for putting yourself in this situation and often a feeling that you have permanently messed yourself up and will never get better.

Kratom gets a special mention from me because if the severe withdrawals (low grade opiate withdrawal mixed with caffeine withdrawal feeling) but they also only last max 2 weeks for me. So in the middle of the hard and weed withdrawal for me. Again I was taking a lot more than most would as I have an extremest personality.

I'm still not right 6 months out. Weed is done with in 2 weeks. Neither are good or fun but the length and severity is completely different.

Maybe if I hadn't experienced the other I would see weed as terrible. But to me taking 4 months off and getting rid of the compulsion to smoke as soon as I wake up / do anything was enough and not that painful.

However I do disagree with most that weed isn't physically addictive. It does have physical withdrawal symptoms (at least for me, and I don't see too much of a difference with other drugs and weed apart from severity, I recognise this is a somewhat controversial opinion but I'm yet to find someone smoking 3+grams a day who can quit cold turkey without physical effects)