Words by Adriana Mercedes Padilla
We live in a world that collectively manages public opinion and policy on a spectrum of issues. Although we are made to believe we all take part is these decisions that alter the course of cultural trends and stand-points, the mosaic nature of our society product of an assemble of people knowledgeable of different fields is not owned. Issues regarding marijuana and addiction exemplify the way public policy is controlled by those who are not necessarily adequately prepared to manage matters rooted on the biology and molecular mechanisms of drugs and addiction.
Back in October, president Trump spoke about drug addiction responding to the opiate crisis the United States is currently facing. After declaring it a public-health emergency, he shared his opinion on drug addiction saying, “Really tough, really big, really great advertising so we get to people before they start. If we teach young people not to take drugs… it’s really, really easy not to take them.” This is a proposed return to advertisement campaigns from the 90s condemning the use of drugs as something effortless and straightforward. The ‘Just Say No’ and ‘This is Your Brain on Drugs’ ethos failed once because they ignored the social and psychological complexities of drug addiction. Most importantly, they left science education out of the picture impeding younger generations from understanding what occurs when their brain is actually on drugs. And no, it does not magically turn into a fried egg.
Today, among the many declared illicit drugs marijuana is like a young art-star climbing the ladder of polarizing opinions straight to the top slowly gaining more acceptance. At the center, marijuana has garnered an important role in the treatment of medical conditions such as cancer and epilepsy, even in children. Along with its growing importance in the medical community, popular culture is not shy from spreading the love spurring countless TV series, documentaries and films on the subject. Nevertheless, politicians whose agendas are against the medicalization or legalization of marijuana historically promote the gateway drug theory as a warning against its use. It is a strategy where pseudo-science becomes political action blurring the line between truth and rhetorical illusions.
The gateway theory of marijuana states that using the substance leads to taking harder drugs. A 2015 survey found that people who are addicted to marijuana are three times more likely to be addicted to heroin. Still, statistical data determines patterns of correlations that do not necessarily correspond to causal relationships. Alcohol, nicotine and amphetamines have also been linked to the usage of other drugs such a pills and cocaine.
One of the main studies used to back-up the marijuana gateway theory is that adolescent rats who were exposed to cannabinoids developed cross-tolerance to morphine, cocaine and amphetamine. This is commonly referred to as a proposed ability of marijuana "priming" the brain. The truth is that all chemical stimuli that enter the brain prime it by altering our genetic code. Coffee can prime our brain just as harder drugs can too, perhaps even your lover's favorite perfume.
Despite the scientific evidence presented in favor of marijuana's gateway theory, before the millennium there were already doubts fuming in the air. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences reported, “There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs.” Additionally, rats do not self-administer THC. Rodents make good models in studies of cocaine and alcohol addiction because they push levers that deliver the drugs much like us humans call a dealer up or get to the nearest dispensary. This is not the case in laboratories delivering THC to rats via injections.
Today, the cycle of addiction is not segmented into parts like an old tin machine. It is seen through the microscope lenses of innovators who ventured out into the vastness of gene regulation and adaptive -responsive- changes in our brain. As more knowledge fills the gaps and answers questions, the marijuana gateway theory is growingly opposed. It is an old paradigm that impedes the full scientific truth from allowing an integrative perspective of addiction to reach the masses. Further, a recent study found that monkeys who were given THC stopped self-administering heroin. The study suggested cannabis can be a positive-reinforcer in the process of quitting heroin. In a way, it can be like a life coach, nicotine patches, AA sponsors or better than a Xanax, at least.
The results are pragmatically -and socially- exemplified in novel opiate rehab centers using cannabis to guide their residents through withdrawal. Featured in VICE's Weediquette, a cannabis detox center located in Maine gives opiate addicts edibles, highly concentrated oils and organic strains to smoke and alleviate the negative symptoms of opiate withdrawal. Deep in the woods you will find a group of recovering opiate users paving the way for the alternative use of cannabis as a therapy to stay away from heroin and pills. They move away from harder drugs, not forward.
Once under the effects of opiates, marijuana's active component THC also has receptors throughout other parts of the body far from the brain. The chemical interaction upon the arrival of the THC molecule produces positive regulations of organs involved in nausea and heart palpitations, both symptoms of heroin withdrawal. Some theories emphasize that there is a correlation between a deficiency in endocannabinoids, our body's own special type of THC molecule, and developing addictive behaviors or mental disorders. It is as if our brain maintains a continuous flow of chemicals mirroring the actions of THC. Disrupting the matrix with chronic abuse of substances such as heroin leads to an unbalance that can have dramatic consequences and place us at risk.
Perhaps marijuana's ability to aid in withdrawal rather than inspire experimenting with other substances is by enhancing our very own endocannabinoid system. The system regulates the communication between neurons that utilize different neurotransmitters. In essence, it is crucial for the system to interact with a neuron that uses dopamine, a chemical involved in pleasure and feelings of reward, and regulate the levels of excitation. The same goes for other neurotransmitters such as serotonin and glutamate. Opiates synthesized by our bodies and their receptors are also indirectly regulated by the endocannabinoid system. Our brain must have mechanisms that precisely regulate the levels of these special chemicals and their impact on the electro-static transmissions that relay information from one neuron onto the next neuron. Future research will elucidate on how cannabis and our endocannabinoid system propel the development of a dynamic circuitry among neurons. This could be the key in understanding the effective management of withdrawal and the cycle of addiction with the help of THC.
Marijuana can be depicted as the starting point on the road to chronic drug abuse. Advertising and political campaigns against its legalization or medicalization promote the gateway-drug theory as a tale of horror like scary stories told to us by parents trying to creatively parent and impose rules. Scientific evidence and advances in the current Age of Biology make strides in our culture by challenging the status-quo and the erroneous political agendas with conflicts of interests. In this manner, educating people on the actual scientific facts about marijuana's role in drug addiction can revolutionize the way people understand the plant and help to eliminate unnecessary social stigmas and labels.
Despite the scientific evidence presented in favor of marijuana's gateway theory, before the millennium there were already doubts fuming in the air. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences reported, “There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs.” Additionally, rats do not self-administer THC. Rodents make good models in studies of cocaine and alcohol addiction because they push levers that deliver the drugs much like us humans call a dealer up or get to the nearest dispensary. This is not the case in laboratories delivering THC to rats via injections.
The results are pragmatically -and socially- exemplified in novel opiate rehab centers using cannabis to guide their residents through withdrawal. Featured in VICE's Weediquette, a cannabis detox center located in Maine gives opiate addicts edibles, highly concentrated oils and organic strains to smoke and alleviate the negative symptoms of opiate withdrawal. Deep in the woods you will find a group of recovering opiate users paving the way for the alternative use of cannabis as a therapy to stay away from heroin and pills. They move away from harder drugs, not forward.
Episode Reefer Rehab, Weediquette, VICELAND.
Cannabis can help addicts in detox because of its effects on the reduction of pain during the management of withdrawal symptoms. The use of marijuana to deal with chronic or acute pain is a potential solution to the opiate crisis. When states allowed the use of medical marijuana for chronic pain they had an opioid mortality rate that was 25 percent lower than states where medical marijuana remained illegal. What does marijuana do in the brain and body when receptors for opiates such as heroin and Percocet are highjacked like a Velvet Underground record spinning in the perfect vinyl player at the right speed in the corner of a dingy New York apartment?Once under the effects of opiates, marijuana's active component THC also has receptors throughout other parts of the body far from the brain. The chemical interaction upon the arrival of the THC molecule produces positive regulations of organs involved in nausea and heart palpitations, both symptoms of heroin withdrawal. Some theories emphasize that there is a correlation between a deficiency in endocannabinoids, our body's own special type of THC molecule, and developing addictive behaviors or mental disorders. It is as if our brain maintains a continuous flow of chemicals mirroring the actions of THC. Disrupting the matrix with chronic abuse of substances such as heroin leads to an unbalance that can have dramatic consequences and place us at risk.
Marijuana can be depicted as the starting point on the road to chronic drug abuse. Advertising and political campaigns against its legalization or medicalization promote the gateway-drug theory as a tale of horror like scary stories told to us by parents trying to creatively parent and impose rules. Scientific evidence and advances in the current Age of Biology make strides in our culture by challenging the status-quo and the erroneous political agendas with conflicts of interests. In this manner, educating people on the actual scientific facts about marijuana's role in drug addiction can revolutionize the way people understand the plant and help to eliminate unnecessary social stigmas and labels.
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