A Common Set Of Genes Responsible For The Use And Misuse Of Alcohol And Marijuana

[HuckleB]

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174570.php

"Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Roughly eight to 12 percent of marijuana users are considered "dependent" and, just like alcohol, the severity of symptoms increases with heavier use. A new study has found that use and misuse of alcohol and marijuana are influenced by a common set of genes.

Results will be published in the March 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

"Results from a large annual survey of high-school students show that in 2008, 41.8 percent of 12th graders reported having used marijuana," explained Carolyn E. Sartor, a research instructor at Washington University School of Medicine and corresponding author for the study. "Although many may have used the drug on only a few occasions, 5.4 percent of 12th graders reported using it daily within the preceding month."

"The active ingredient in marijuana is THC, which mimics natural cannabinoids that the brain produces," added Christian Hopfer, associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "The cannabinoid system is critical for learning, memory, appetite, and pain perception. Most users of marijuana will not develop an 'addiction' to it, but perhaps one in 12 will. What is not commonly appreciated about marijuana use is that strong evidence has emerged that it increases the risk of developing mental illnesses and possibly exacerbates pre-existing

..."


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My suspicion, and that is all it is, for what it's worth, is that this "common gene" is likely something that affects some portion of mental health (anxiety, mood, what have you), and that abuse of either substance is related to the mental health issue.

[cliffordu]

1. Lots of overindulgers in booze and drugs are self-medicating

mental illnesses.

[Zoeisright]

2. That's just what I was saying to my husband

who is a teacher at an alternative high school, for troubled kids. So many of them are self-medicating, and so are their parents.

[DCKit]

3. +1. It's not like the rabble can afford prescription drugs. n/t

[cliffordu]

4. That's certainly part of it,

and until they stopped working, booze and drugs kept me in the workforce and 'sane' for almost 25 years....

And then they stopped working and my ass fell off.

[HuckleB]

5. Yeah, that's what I said in the OP.

[elleng]

6. A couple good friend drink, rather a lot, and seem to fear marijuana.