Scientists find natural hormone that counteracts marijuana high

[The Straight Story]

Scientists find natural hormone that counteracts marijuana high

Pregnenolone might be released by the body to fight the nice feelings created by pot. At least that's what French scientists believe.

....

Yet along comes a bunch of French researchers to suggest that the brain has natural defenses against the nice feelings generated by the very popular plant.

As Agence France-Presse reports, the researchers probed with lab rats and discovered that the naturally occurring hormone pregnenolone seems to counteract the high delivered by marijuana.

The research, published in Science magazine, explained that initially pregnenolone was thought to be "the inactive precursor of all steroid hormones."

However, in this experiment, "pregnenolone antagonized most of the known behavioral and somatic effects of THC."

Science did, though, offer a prognostication that might numb more than a few. It suggested that this research "could lead to new approaches to treating marijuana intoxication and addiction -- and it may allow researchers to isolate the medicinal properties of cannabis while blocking its behavioral and somatic effects."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57616626-71/scientists-find-natural-hormone-that-counteracts-marijuana-high/

[Warren DeMontague]

1. THANK GOD!

Said no one, ever.

[whatchamacallit]

6. Lol! n/t

[Iggo]

17. Heh.

[brewens]

2. Is that what makes some people paranoid? Find a way to disable that hormone

to keep people from harshing my mellow!

[jberryhill]

3. Next up, researchers find way to make sugar taste bitter

In an additional report, the team is optimistic they can make roses smell like shit.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

18. That would be Lunesta (for me at least)

I never had an adverse reaction to any drug in my entire life (constitution of Elvis, doncha know) but Lunesta fucked up my taste for 24 hours. Couldn't even drink a Coke.

[mike_c]

4. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....

There are ALREADY hundreds of thousands of perfectly good plant species that don't get you stoned. Does the world really need another?

[Igel]

14. There's an idea.

GMO cannabis, modified to produce pregnenolone in the necessary amounts.

Wonder if it would unblock long-term memory formation by the amygdala?

[TeeYiYi]

19. GMOs...

...the next great thing.

Wait.

What?

Because 'there's nothing wrong with gmo'...or something.

TYY

[RC]

5. Why?

Why can't we ever have nice things? Why does someone always have to ruin it?

[TheKentuckian]

7. Sounds evil and all kinds of fucked up.

[arcane1]

8. I defend science on DU, and this is the thanks I get??

[MirrorAshes]

9. "treating marijuana intoxication"

"OMG THIS GUY IS STONED! PIN HIM DOWN AND GIVE HIM THE SHOT!"

"...wait, what? No, I'm cool, hold on a second here..."

"GET HIM HE'S OUT OF CONTROL!!!"

[hobbit709]

12. "and addiction"

[Autumn]

10. Something that lowers the THC levels would be nice.

[Warpy]

11. Well, that explains how harshed the mellow gets

when the knock on the door turns out to be the cops.

However, back in the day, they were just asking people to turn the music down.

[LadyHawkAZ]

13. Sheesh...

"marijuana intoxication and addiction..."

[kestrel91316]

15. No thanks.

[kentuck]

16. Bummer.