Pot may indeed lead to heroin use, rat study shows

[IdaBriggs]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060712/hl_nm/pot_heroin_dc

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teens who experiment with marijuana may be making themselves more vulnerable to heroin addiction later in life, if the findings from experiments with rats are any indication.

"Cannabis has very long-term, enduring effects on the brain," Dr. Yasmin Hurd of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health in an interview.

Whether or not trying marijuana is a 'gateway' to use of so-called harder drugs like heroin and cocaine has been hotly debated, she and her colleagues note in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

To investigate whether pot smoking could cause brain changes that might predispose an individual to later drug use, Hurd and her team looked at rats exposed to the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, during a developmental period similar to human adolescence. To mimic the relatively small amount used by most teens experimenting with pot, the rodents received periodic, small doses of THC.

(more at link)

[truthisfreedom]

1. being around republicans can lead to heroin use.

there's lots of "gateway" experiences in life.

[Jolly Roger]

37. The conclusion from this study is wrong.

I have read the paper, the abstract is here: http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/241/2/534.
What this study really says is that THC blocks the access to the opioid receptors, thus increasing the dose of heroin required to excite them. This is why the rats exposed to THC required 50% more heroin to get high. This actually suggests the THC makes it more difficult to get stoned with opiates.

[readmoreoften]

2. Dancing is the gateway to sex

sex is the gateway to drinking

drinking is the gateway to marijuana

which is the gateway to heroin

which is the gateway to homosexuality

which is the gateway to terrorism.

If you want to win the war on terror, you must first wage the war against waltzing.

Stay in School, Kids!

-- The Gatekeeper

[bowens43]

3. Dancing is the gateway to sex?

I must be a lousy dancer.....

[SenorSanchez]

20. Dancing might be the way to sex

I have been to a few clubs and if you are dancing really dirty with a girl generally your gonna get sum. Dancing has definitely gotten dirtier through the generations. I mean I enjoy it and all, but I wouldn't want my future children doing any of that. I'm kinda the do as i say not as i do guy.

[creeker]

26. That sounds like a typical Baptist Preacher in the deep south

(except for the education)imagine what a government under them would be like

[rman]

4. Still, by far most pot users never use heroine

(much like how by far most video game players never go postal)

The facts do not support the gateway drug theory.

[Jamastiene]

19. I don't support that theory either.

I'm with the facts.

[Cobalt Violet]

31. Nor are they rats. n/t

[TalkingDog]

5. These people are idiots.

I take particular exception to this conclusion:

"The current findings provide direct evidence in support of the gateway hypothesis that adolescent cannabis exposure contributes to greater heroin intake in adulthood."


The wording is horrific. If they wanted to conclude that: Of those who used cannibis and later decided to experiment with heroin, there was a greater liklihood that they would use more heroin. I may not take issue with that. But to suggest, which they do, that there is a direct correlation between cannibis use and heroin use in humans is incredibly shortsighted.

The only direct connection they found is that if you've used cannibis, you are more likely to use more heroin if you ever DECIDE to try heroin!!!

You'd think at least SCIENCE would try to maintain some neutrality on the issues. Stupid F*ckers.




My favorite Future Famous Dead Artist: KarenParker


edited for html stuff

[ixion]

7. yep, you're right: they're idiots

in a big, big way.

[papau]

8. I agree - indeed "sensistive" doesn't even equate to more use - under any

condition.

This sounds like a high school project.

[papau]

6. THC-exposed rats were more sensitive to the effects of heroin" -does not

equal gateway -

Only point is being "sensitive" in this study.

I wonder if booze background results in more "sensistive" finding - or coffee background, etc.

Indeed seems there were no controls beyond those handled and drugged versus those less handled and less drugged.

[Ganja Ninja]

9. Ridiculous.

Might as well make the assumption that drinking beer or smoking leads to heroin addiction.

[Warren Stupidity]

10. Oh look Ida is back with her drug warrior idiocy!

I suggest that we not fit teenagers with heroin catheters.

[Marnieworld]

16. yep

That was my thought too. I just don't get it.

[leveymg]

11. Rodent study shows pot is likely to lead to Rocky Road icecream abuse.

[Mythsaje]

12. Breaking news!

Just discovered! Heroin use leads to heroin addiction.

Politicians and pundits are astounded!

[GeorgeGist]

13. In related news...

Pleasure may indeed lead to pleasure use, teenager study shows.

http://yahoosersnews.com/s/nm/20060712/obviousman

NEW YORK (Rooters Health) - Teens who experiment with pleasure may be making themselves more vulnerable to pleasure addiction later in life, if the findings from experiments with them are any indication.

"Pleasure has very long-term, enduring effects on the brain," Dr. Hasmin Turd of the Mount Senile School of Medicine in New Dork, the study's lead author, told Rooters Health in an interview.

Whether or not pleasure is a 'gateway' to use of so-called harder pleasure has been hotly debated, he and his colleagues note in the journal Neuropsychos

To investigate whether pleasure could cause brain changes that might predispose an individual to later pleasure use, Turd and his team looked at teenagers exposed to the active ingredient in pleasure, endorphins, during their adolescence. To mimic the relatively small amount used by most teens experimenting with pleasure, the teens received periodic, small doses of endorphins.

(more at link)

[niallmac]

14. Pot leads to chicken gumbo in my house.

Iron skillet leads to brain on drugs looking breakfast.
War on Drugs leads to endless funding for terrorism,
for drug mafia/ U.S. government DEA corrupt
money fouled jokers.
So says my study of life long observation.

[MGD]

15. Alcohol acts upon opiate receptors too

and, in so doing, turns whinos into junkies.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-09/ace-ptr091001.php

Chocolate or, more precisely, chemicals in chocolate, are also thought to act upon opiate receptors:
http://www.wyff4.com/news/456635/detail.html

Shall we now make alcohol and chocolate illegal because of their gateway potentials? Correlation does not prove causality.

[unpossibles]

17. exactly

it's like claiming that eating ice cream causes drowning, because both occur more frequently in summer.

[Symphony of Freedom]

18. Pot cost my favourite pub $10 last night...

I left early with some of my drinking money because being high made me hungry and tired.

[redphish]

21. Well, I guess rats should lay off the weed!

:eyes:

[bemildred]

22. This is speculative drivel, not science.

All you have to consider is the phrase "might lead to".

While one may see use of pot and use of smack in the same individual, there is no causative effect from one to the other. One might find a small correllation between the two, but correlation is not causation.

[canetoad]

23. UK bloggers comments on this article

http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2006/07/can-i-see-your-working-please.html

[bemildred]

24. Being Republican may lead to paedophilia (apparently). nt

[Turtlebah]

25. I never tried Heroin after I used Cannabis

I didn't want to become a drug addict.

[Oldenuff]

27. Pot may indeed lead to heroin use, rat study shows

I'm not a rat.

And I've never had any desire for Heroin.

Sorry to disappoint you Ida.

The government just loves people who believe everything they are told...Got your Federal ID card yet??

[Union Thug]

28. wow, how interesting. I've been around pot-heads all my life

and not one has had any interest in heroin. Strange how experience trumps the bullshit everytime.

[XxRouninxX]

29. I wonder

if they still gave the rats the choice between marijuana or heroin in the end ;) my guess is they took the pot away and the rats were like "what the fuck?"

[SteveM]

30. Funny, I thought heroin leads to heroin

[Union Thug]

32. self delete

[Boogyman_]

33. huh?

I wonder how they made the rats shooting heroin. :wow:
BTW can someone tell me how to post new threads?

[Cobalt Violet]

34. Hi, and welcome to DU.

I believe that you have to have a certain unknown number of posts before you can start a thread. I really don't know what the number is.

[wildbilln864]

35. I have never used heroin nor will I!

Marijuana leads only to the refrigerator! :eyes:

[bamacrat]

36. Ive read studies that say tobacco use is the real sign of tendency to use hard drugs.

Not pot, what do people do first, smoke ciggarettes and drink alcohol.

[bemildred]

38. Dr Hurd will go far, she will have all the funding she desires.

Pleasing drug studies are the gateway to government research grants.

[ellisonz]

40. Bingo.

[bamacrat]

39. NO, people who use hard drugs would anyway

What many "researchers" dont understand is that most if not all people begin drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco before they smoke pot, so therefore they are the real gateway drugs not weed. I hate shit like this.

[rhiannon55]

41. Milk leads to heroin use

Every heroin addict started out on (breast or bottle) milk....;)