Cannabis as Addictive as Cocaine |
Posted by FoM on October 16, 2000 at 10:20:56 PT By Dr Steven Goldberg, US NIDA Scientist Source: BBC News Cannabis may be as addictive as hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine, say US scientists. The finding comes as pressure grows in the UK for the drug to be legalised. This is the first clear demonstration that the active ingredient in marijuana has the same potential for abuse that other drugs such as heroin and cocaine do The chief scientist at the UK's Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has also predicted that cannabis will be licensed for medical use within two years. In the US experiments, a team from the National Institute on Drug Abuse trained four squirrel monkeys to give themselves shots of intravenous cocaine supplied through a catheter. The animals did this by pressing a lever 10 times after a green light was illuminated in their isolation chamber. Monkey Lever: When saline was substituted for the cocaine, the monkeys stopped pressing the lever. But when the salt solution was swapped for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the active ingredient in cannabis - they quickly started activating the lever again. In a typical one-hour session, they gave themselves 30 shots of THC - the equivalent in body size to an adult human smoking a marijuana cigarette. The researchers also showed that the monkeys' compulsion for THC was reduced when they were given a second drug that blocks receptors on the cannabinoid receptors in the brain. Lead researcher Dr Steven Goldberg told BBC News Online: "We compared the intensity of behaviour we that got with THC with the intensity of behaviour we got under exactly the same conditions with cocaine in another group of monkeys. "We found the levels of behaviour were identical in the two groups of animals. "So basically this is the first clear demonstration that the active ingredient in marijuana will maintain drug taking behaviour in experimental animals, and it indicates - from a pre-clinical standpoint - that it has the same potential for abuse that other drugs such as heroin and cocaine do." Dr Goldberg admitted that his research could not take into account the social factors that would inevitably come into play when assessing the potential for abuse of cannabis among human users. However, Dr Lester Grinspoon, a Harvard Medical School emeritus professor of psychiatry, dismissed the idea that the study proved that cannabis was addictive. He said: " "This drug is not addicting. Clinical experience says that." Medical Use: Professor Tony Moffat, chief scientist with the UK's RPS, said large scale clinical trials were currently taking place to test the medical benefit of cannabis. He said: "I imagine that the results of those will show that cannabis does have therapeutic benefit for the treatment of pain and spasms in multiple sclerosis. "Should that be the case then I believe that governments across the world will change their minds and make the use of cannabis for medicinal use legalised." Professor Moffat said the trials were designed to ascertain the right dose for patients to take so that the beneficial effects outweighed the possible side effects. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has ruled out legalising cannabis for social use. Notes: I image that the results of those tests will show that cannabis does have therapeutic benefit for the treatment of multiple sclerosis: Professor Tony Moffat, Royal Pharmaceutical Society This is the first clear demonstration that the active ingredient in marijuana has the same potential for abuse that other drugs such as heroin and cocaine do: Dr Steven Goldberg, US National Institute on Drug Abuse scientists Source: BBC News (UK Web) Internet Links: Nature Neuroscience: http://www.nature.com/neuro/ UK Cannabis Internet Activists: http://www.ukcia.org/ Royal Pharmaceutical Society: http://www.rpsgb.org.uk/ National Institute on Drug Abuse: http://www.nida.nih.gov/ Related Articles: Blair: Keep Marijuana Illegal: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7339.shtml Monkeys Seek Repeated Doses of Marijuana: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7352.shtml Cannabis To Be Legal as Painkiller in Two Years: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7342.shtml NIDA Researchers Find Animals Will Adminster Marijuana: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7353.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
Comment #30 posted by ryan on April 16, 2001 at 04:00:56 PT:
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Look, stop argueing over the Legalisation of drugs. Open all your ignorant confused eyes to the fact you incarcerate people that don't deserve punishment for doing what they enjoy.
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Comment #29 posted by Williams on October 28, 2000 at 21:08:21 PT |
Doctors have long been aware of the dangerous consequences of misuse of the chemical substance hydrogen hydroxide. "Ice," as the substance is referred to by many of its users, is rather harmless in appearance. But autopsies and clinical studies reveal the alarming number of deaths resulting from careless overuse. Hydrogen hydroxide intoxication results in gruesome and needless deaths.
Ice is the clear or flaky-white, crystalline form of the substance becoming the focus of attention worldwide. Comments from users of the substance are similar to those of hard drug users addicted to cocaine. Users report numbness when used topically. And they report sensations varying from mild refreshment to invigorating vitality when usage is fully indulged. It is full indulgence that is of primary concern. Users will take the crystalline form of hydrogen hydroxide and form it into a liquid for more rapid absorption and delivery to the bloodstream. One popular deliver system involves a complex assortment of pipes. In many cases impurities within the hydrogen hydroxide are of grave concern. The substance may be tainted with heavy metals and other neurological toxins. In many cases a supplier has added chemicals to the substance. In other cases it may be users’ own pipes that lead to serious contamination.
Hydrogen hydroxide is now thought to be the true "gateway." Users of hard drugs apparently began using it before moving on to other drugs. What's worse is that many IV drug users have been found mixing it with their regular drugs before "shooting up." So many in fact that it may be likely that nearly 100% of IV drug users are mixing hydrogen hydroxide into their "fixes." And the mixture concentration is frightening. As much as 100 times more pure hydrogen hydroxide may be used in mixtures with cocaine, heroin, meth-anfedamine, and other drugs already shown to be extremely addictive.
Hydrogen hydroxide is perhaps the most addictive substance known to man. Withdrawal symptoms are atrocious. Once hooked, those who attempt to remain free from the substance report weakness, fatigue, dizziness, fainting, dry mouth and throat, dark urine, constipation, and feeling as if they were about to die. As far as is known, babies born to mothers using the chemical would in fact die very shortly after birth without regular supervised administration of the substance. Currently, there is no known way to wean these precious young ones of their dependence. It remains unknown what will become of these infants who may likely require hydrogen hydroxide at different periods during their lives. And the effects of usage are often horrendous.
Hydrogen hydroxide permeates not only the blood brain barrier but may be found in perhaps all of a user's cells. Even after a first and single usage, huge amounts of the substance remain in a user's body throughout his or her entire lifetime. Women who continue to indulge their habits during pregnancy have been proven to have large amounts of hydrogen hydroxide in the fluid within their wombs. Ice user's brains are also known to be surrounded by a large amount of hydrogen hydroxide. In many births, extraordinary amounts of fluid destroy brain tissue resulting in serious permanent brain damage or even still births.
In addition to the toll suffered by its users, the full societal effect of hydrogen hydroxide usage is now becoming apparent. It is suspected that perhaps all of the country's homeless, indigent, mentally ill, and hard core drug users have at one time or another been frequent users of hydrogen hydroxide. Many of these people began using at a young age when US drug policy was focused on less seriously damaging, perhaps even beneficial drugs.
Scientists are currently making use of hydrogen hydroxide in their studies. The government has recently released results of one study currently under way. These results show squirrel monkeys will pull a lever ten times to get regular injection of hydrogen hydroxide even though pulling a second lever would deliver THC straight to the vein. THC is the primary active chemical found in marijuana, the most used illicit drug in America. The one bright spot this study reveals is that, in time, a monkey will inject itself with THC 30 times as opposed to one to four times for injections of water containing hydrogen hydroxide. The DEA and other government agencies are taking immediate notice of this study. The study's findings are currently being disseminated to as many citizens as possible.
Marijuana has long been touted for its medicinal properties. It is hoped that an herbal extract or other preparation of marijuana may actually bring relief to many chronic hydrogen hydroxide dependents who are suffering. One serious hurdle remains however. Due to marijuana's classification as an illicit drug, further research using the drug in treatment is prohibited. Currently billions of taxpayer dollars are spent to stop usage of marijuana whether for research or otherwise. Law enforcement and drug enforcement agents alike are stating their disgrace and disapproval of US drug policy. Still those responsible for making our nation's laws are slow to take notice. Do not be fooled by the claims of others. Agents of the DEA are calling for your support. Write your local representatives. We must reduce marijuana from a Schedule I narcotic so that further research into marijuana's beneficial properties may begin immediately.
Comment #28 posted by bROWNLEY on October 23, 2000 at 19:38:50 PT:
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Comment #27 posted by ras james on October 18, 2000 at 17:51:46 PT |
Comment #26 posted by birdman on October 18, 2000 at 15:31:40 PT |
Comment #25 posted by Kanabys on October 18, 2000 at 12:37:17 PT |
Comment #24 posted by observer on October 18, 2000 at 11:21:46 PT |
"physically addictive", eh? Perhaps you have discovered something new here. This and other studies have not established that cannabis is "addictive" at all. That's just prohibitionist propaganda, that many are duped by.
But lets get over this "marijuana is as safe as a glass of water" B.S.. It isn't
I doubt that cannabis is as dangerous as water... people have died from drinking too much water (electrolyte depletion?); no one has ever died from taking too much cannabis.
And by the way, it is a classic prohibitionist straw man to claim that people who don't want adults imprisoned for using cannabis argue that `marijuana is harmless'.
see:
http://www.marijuananews.com/is_marijuana_really_harmless.htm
I can't think of any object (thing) in this universe that cannot, somehow, be abused: dirt, water, air, rocks: all can be abused.
and it needs to be respected like most other substance.
Uh, yeah. (Did anyone suggest otherwise? No.)
THC Receptors? Yes. Addictive? No. Withdrawl symptoms? No. Will prohibitionists seize upon this 'study' to bolster their argument for continuing to imprison cannabis users? Yes (though prohibitionists like to keep the prison part from their arguments).
Comment #23 posted by JohnDog on October 18, 2000 at 07:04:33 PT:
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Comment #22 posted by wibble on October 18, 2000 at 04:12:49 PT:
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the study is also missing any time base, to test for long term neurological changes, which are the factors controlling physical addiction.
Comment #21 posted by allan on October 18, 2000 at 03:00:11 PT:
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Comment #20 posted by mungojelly on October 18, 2000 at 02:50:25 PT:
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Comment #19 posted by nl5x on October 17, 2000 at 20:17:31 PT |
As far as sending letters, be assured that every time you see my name on a post the editor (+) gets a
(E-mail) letter and a link to the article from this site with everyone’s opposing or supporting info. left for him/her to (research) fast and easy.
ant,know your role.
Comment #18 posted by freedom fighter on October 17, 2000 at 18:54:50 PT |
Dr Goldberg admitted that his research could not take into account the social factors that would inevitably come into play when assessing the potential for abuse of cannabis among human users.
Comment #17 posted by NJWEEDMAN on October 17, 2000 at 16:05:59 PT:
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Comment #16 posted by Haze on October 17, 2000 at 16:05:45 PT:
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on October 17, 2000 at 09:54:45 PT:
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I got to thinking about how I could make it easier for the letter writers here at Cannabis News to find and respond to these articles and I went and got a few of the published articles from DrugNews and put them here to help. I'm sorry the click on email doesn't work but you can copy and paste the address in your email or go into the article at MapInc.
I agree that if you have the talent to write this is the best possible time to do so.
US: McCaffrey To Leave In January
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1564/a04.html
Newshawk: Jo-D and Tom-E
Pubdate: Tue, 17 Oct 2000
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2000 The Washington Post Company
Contact: letters@washpost.com
Address: 1150 15th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20071
Feedback: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Author: Peter Slevin, Washington Post Staff Writer
US: Drug Czar to Step Down Before Inauguration
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1564/a01.html
Newshawk: Amanda
Pubdate: Tue, 17 Oct 2000
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2000 The New York Times Company
Contact: letters@nytimes.com
Address: 229 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036
Fax: (212) 556-3622
Website: http://www.nytimes.com/
Forum: http://forums.nytimes.com/comment/
US: Drug Czar To Step Down
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1562/a07.html
Newshawk: http://www.cannabisnews.com/
Pubdate: Mon, 16 Oct 2000
Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News (CO)
Copyright: 2000 Denver Publishing Co.
Contact: letters@denver-rmn.com
Address: 400 W. Colfax, Denver, CO 80204
Website: http://www.denver-rmn.com/
US: Marijuana - Monkey See, Monkey Do
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1561/a05.html
Newshawk: Sledhead - VOTE Patrick L. Lilly, Colo. Senate, Dist. 12
Pubdate: Mon, 16 Oct 2000
Source: Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
Copyright: 2000 The Salt Lake Tribune
Contact: letters@sltrib.com
Address: 143 S Main, Salt Lake City UT 84111
Fax: (801)257-8950
Website: http://www.sltrib.com/
Forum: http://www.sltrib.com/tribtalk/
US NY: Monkeys Crave Pot, Study Finds
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1560/a07.html
Newshawk: Jo-D and Tom-E
Pubdate: Mon, 16 Oct 2000
Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA)
Copyright: 2000 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
Contact: letters@uniontrib.com
Address: PO Box 120191, San Diego, CA, 92112-0191
Fax: (619) 293-1440
Website: http://www.uniontrib.com/
Forum: http://www.uniontrib.com/cgi-bin/WebX
Writer's Resources:
http://www.mapinc.org/resource/
3 Tips for Letter Writers: http://www.mapinc.org/3tips.htm
Letter Writers Style Guide: http://www.mapinc.org/style.htm
Comment #14 posted by Antianti on October 17, 2000 at 08:26:23 PT:
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Comment #13 posted by Kanabys on October 17, 2000 at 05:41:06 PT |
Sheesh, gimme a break, stupid NIDA narcopigs...........
Comment #12 posted by EdC on October 17, 2000 at 03:45:08 PT:
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Comment #11 posted by D Ferguson on October 16, 2000 at 19:04:20 PT |
Another question, what kinda squirrel monkey was this anyway? Sounds like these guys were experimenting on themselves.
Comment #10 posted by nl5x on October 16, 2000 at 16:57:36 PT |
Experts Rate Problem Substances
Dr. Jack E. Henningfield of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Dr. Neal L. Benowitz of the University of California at San Francisco ranked six substances based on five problem areas.
http://www.marijuananews.com/marijuananews/cowan/relative_addictiveness_of_drugs_.htm
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/addictiv.htm
Comment #9 posted by MikeEEEEE on October 16, 2000 at 16:49:25 PT |
No matter what these guys say the human animal will still do the same things it likes, for instance: animals keep eating food they like, having sex they like, having another beer they like, and having more of something else they like. This is simple logic, how about they pay me to tell them that?
Comment #8 posted by Hans Aoff on October 16, 2000 at 15:46:23 PT:
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Comment #7 posted by Sudaca on October 16, 2000 at 14:41:39 PT |
MARIJUANA DISCOVERED TO BE AS ADDICTIVE AS COCAINE!!
This is monkey business as usual from the prohibitionists.
Comment #6 posted by observer on October 16, 2000 at 11:58:38 PT |
... monkeys to give themselves shots of intravenous cocaine supplied through a catheter. ... When saline was substituted for the cocaine, the monkeys stopped pressing the lever. ... But when the salt solution was swapped for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the active ingredient in cannabis - they quickly started activating the lever again.
Obviously, they haven't yet concocted a technique for making animals self-administer THC. (Because if NIDA had done so, it would have been a much more undiluted and dramatic propaganda piece.)
However, this study seems to indicate that cocaine is a gateway to ... marijuana!
And more vicious, more deadly even than these soul-destroying drugs [cocaine/heroin], is the menace of marihuana!
-- Reefer Madness, 1936 http://crrh.org/hemptv/misc_reefer.html
Comment #5 posted by Dan B on October 16, 2000 at 11:37:35 PT:
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Suppose, then, that you replace the steak with something neutral--say saltwater. The dog might be interested the first time he hits the button, but soon the dog would stop hitting the button because he knows that nothing of substance will come out of the slot.
Now, suppose that you replace the saltwater with a dog biscuit. That dog will surely begin hitting the lever again because the treats are back. Holy Cow! The dog is as addicted to dog biscuits as he is to steak!
Folks, what you are reading in the above study is nothing more than classic positive reinforcement a la B. F. Skinner. The scientists could substitute anything that would make the monkeys feel good, and the monkeys would keep hitting that button.
Furthermore, the monkeys were already trained to push the button to get a substance that makes them feel good. Ever wonder why they didn't just begin with THC? Something to think about...
Comment #4 posted by Nobody. on October 16, 2000 at 11:26:22 PT |
Comment #3 posted by Dan B on October 16, 2000 at 11:24:20 PT:
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This is a case of applying a concept to the results of an experiment, rather than using an experiment to test the validity of a concept. Here, the results showed that monkeys that have been trained to use a substance that makes them feel good (cocaine) will use an alternate substance (marijuana) if that substance also makes them feel good.
From these results, the "scientists" concluded that marijuana is as addictive as cocaine. The results of this experiment can alternately be said to support the assumption that marijuana would work well as a substitute to treat cocaine addiction. Both conclusions would be unfounded, based solely on this study.
Thus, any conclusions from this study regarding addiction are extremely speculative (at best) and scientifically unfounded (at least).
When NIDA approves garbage like the study described above, yet rejects the much more carefully designed studies of legitimate scientists, like Dr. Ethan Russo's medical cannabis research concerning cluster headaches and migraines, is there any wonder why legitimate scientists are fed up with the system?
Comment #2 posted by Very smart scientist on October 16, 2000 at 11:00:48 PT |
I think after this kind of "experiments" we should really cut back on investing money into "research":)
Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on October 16, 2000 at 10:35:00 PT:
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