E-cigarettes a 'gateway' to harder drugs, study says

[neversickanymore]

E-cigarettes a 'gateway' to harder drugs, study says
Published September 04, 2014

Like conventional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes may function as a "gateway drug" that can prime the brain to be more receptive to harder drugs, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, add to the debate about the risks and benefits of electronic cigarettes, the increasingly popular devices that deliver nicotine directly without burning tobacco.

"With e-cigarettes, we get rid of the danger to the lungs and to the heart, but no one has mentioned the brain," coauthor Dr. Eric Kandel of Columbia University, whose findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, said in a telephone interview.

In laboratory studies, the researchers showed that "once mice and rats are on nicotine, they are more addicted to cocaine" after being introduced to that drug, said Dr. Aruni Bhatnagar of the University of Louisville, who was not involved in the study but chaired a 10-member American Heart Association panel on the impact of e-cigarettes.

continued http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/09/04/e-cigarettes-gateway-to-harder-drugs-study-says/

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In other news, a study shows that watching fox news primes the brain for harder propaganda.

 

[Cambo]

Oh for fuck sake.
Studies also show that people who use oxygen are more likely to be addicted to heroin.

 

[spacejunk]

So they quote someone who was not involved in the study to interpret the findings?
Huh?!
Is it even possible for a mouse to become "more addicted to cocaine"? I mean...there are issues of tolerance, varying levels of severity in terms of addiction's inpact on a human's life...but "once rats are on nicotine, they are more addicted to cocaine" sounds like meaningless babble. Just nonsense.

Besides, if anything should impact on addiction to other substances, surely it would be tobacco - not nicotine - as it contains beta carbolines and other alkaloids that can potentiate and cause poly-drug addictions, right?

This is foolish of me to try to find sense in (or attempt to rationally rebut) Faux News - but as usual they are wearing their corporate loyalties on their sleeves. Beware the tabloid e-cig boogeyman.

 

[clara]

Out of control, is what this is. I was using 'hard drugs' before I even heard of an e-cig. This is just big tobacco company's using the media to spread propaganda. While I don't think e-cigs are completely safe, they are safer than traditional cigarettes.

 

[Crankinit]

Deep sigh. Close the window.

 

[edgarshade]

BBC News

"E-cigarette criticisms 'alarmist' say researchers"

5 September 2014

Warnings over e-cigarettes are alarmist - and increasing their use could save many lives, researchers have said. For every million smokers who switch to e-cigarettes over 6,000 lives a year in the UK could be saved, according to the University College London team. Meanwhile another group of London-based experts has attacked criticism of e-cigarettes as "misleading".

Last week the World Health Organization called for e-cigarette use to be banned in public places and workplaces. The WHO said this was because they could increase the levels of some toxins and nicotine in the air. Its report also warned about the risk of e-cigarettes acting as a gateway by which non-smokers might start smoking real cigarettes. But the UCL team said the numbers of non-smokers using e-cigarettes amounted to less than 1% of the population, according to the Smoking Toolkit study, a monthly survey of smokers in England.

Prof Robert West added that even though some toxins were present in vapour from e-cigarettes the concentrations were very low.

More...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29061169

 

[ro4eva]

If this is true, then the same goes for any product with nicotine in it, including the smoking cessation aids - meaning they're all a "gateway" to "harder" drugs.

I do recall reading something about how nicotine use may increase receptor sensitivity for opioids, IIRC.

And what about alcohol? Consume cocaine along with alcoholic beverages and the result is cocaethylene.

I'm not surprised this article was shat out of the brilliant minds at Fox News in cooperation with their "experts" on the topic. If it's any consolation, the median age of their viewers is 65, last I checked (and going up).

 

[BlissfullyAddicted]

With this logic milk is the gateway drug to juice which is the gateway drug to pop which is the gateway drug to coffee which is the gateway drug to beer which is the gateway drug to weed; etc. The gateway theory is rediculous as people have the control to make their own educated decisions about drugs. Especially with the rise of the internet and resources like Bluelight. just my opinion

 

[Erikmen]

I don´t think that´s true.

 

[421]

If this is true, then the same goes for any product with nicotine in it, including the smoking cessation aids - meaning they're all a "gateway" to "harder" drugs.

I do recall reading something about how nicotine use may increase receptor sensitivity for opioids, IIRC.

And what about alcohol? Consume cocaine along with alcoholic beverages and the result is cocaethylene.

I'm not surprised this article was shat out of the brilliant minds at Fox News in cooperation with their "experts" on the topic. If it's any consolation, the median age of their viewers is 65, last I checked (and going up).

Yes it's true for any nicotine delivery system. In the study (http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1405092) the mice were given nicotine in their drinking water. So they weren't puffing ecigs. But inhalation is very fast acting so cigarettes and ecigs may be worse than nicotine gum or chewing tobacco, or eating vegetables.

Alcohol is a hard drug by itself.

 

[Erikmen]

Alcohol is sometimes compared to heroin, when talking about self destruction..

 

[coelophysis]

Whatever you want to believe about e-cigarettes, there is a "study" out there to support your belief.