Scientists Discover Gene For Cocaine Addiction

It has become commonplace for people who are overweight to attribute their waistline to their DNA. Now, celebrities caught snorting cocaine might also be able to blame their parents.

Scientists reported yesterday the discovery of a gene that increases the chances of becoming hooked on the drug. Addicts were 25% more likely to carry the gene variant than people who did not use cocaine, a study found.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[indyleftist]

Utter Nonsense

The study shows that American cocaine addicts have a similar gene 25% of the time
Whereas if I did a study without studying genes but instead just based it on whether the person's parents abused cocaine I would get a much better result than 25%

Cocaine is pleasurable to everyone who does it, there is not some magic gene that makes it fun and addicting. The drug does that itself

[RoloTomassi]

Nope, sorry, but you're all wet; the absurd notion that any drug induces the same reaction in all people just isn't scientifically supportable. While the vast majority who try the drug find the effects pleasurable, only a small percentage of them become addicted. If you had ever been exposed to drug culture enough to have seen a hardcore addict vs a casual user, then you would be quite certain about the distinctions.

It is the mindless parroting of anti-drug nonsense that keeps facts and common sense mostly out of the equation where drug laws are concerned.

[protagonia]

So, as soon as W is packing to leave, NOW they come up with the cure for cocaine addiction?

[hoopesaz]

Great, another "excuse". I suppose polygamists probably have some gene that explains their behavior too.

[sammdphd]

they must have sampled many republicans for this

[RoloTomassi]

This confirms one of my primary tenets when making a case for broad drug legalization; it's something that most advocates know about, but rarely use in promoting legalization: just because a person uses a drug does not mean that 1) they will become addicted, and 2) they will become irresponsible and disfunctional in their otherwise typical social environment. The primary problems that arise from drug use come about when use turns into cronic abuse, and cronic abuse is rare in individuals who are not addicted.

Anyone who has ever moved in circles where drug use was commonplace knows [if they're truly paying attention] that far more people use drugs without severe negative effects when compared to those whose lives seem to be dominated by a particular substance [cocaine being an excellent example].

Don't misunderstand my point here; I have seen firsthand how cocaine can decimate a person's life--but then I've also seen far more people use cocaine and never suffer the same dire consequences.

Such observations over the years have led me to believe that the use of marijuana, cocaine, and the vast majority of naturally occurring hallucinogenic substances can be used by the majority of people without the dire, life-altering consequences of serious addiction.

But of course such observations are anecdotical, and are viewed by many to be too controversial for use in making a legalization or decriminalization argument.

[JoeKing]

I never really thought about it that way. Thanks. Interesting p.o.v.

[Phytoresearcher]

It is becoming clearer than ever that we are not destined to live with the genetic inheritance of our parents and ancestors. First it was announced by Dr. Sinclair at Harvard that transmax resveratrol, a commercial extract of a red wine molecule by biotivia was able to switch on the SirT1 anti-aging gene and prevent the normal diseases of aging. Then scientists reported that a drug called Aircar that had been around for decades is capable or making sedentary mice into olympic contenders by modifying their muscles and increasing their endurance. Soon after that Harvard announced a way to create customized stem cells to treat specific diseases. In ten years we will hopefully wean ourselves from synthetic drugs by either preventing cancer and other fatal diseases or treating disease by modifying our body's natural defense systems through up regulating the appropriate genes.

[uprt]

"...people found to be susceptible to cocaine addiction could be given counseling or protected with experimental vaccines now being developed."
I find this concept dangerously susceptible to manipulation .
What happens if the vaccine becomes mandatory if one tests positive?

[Earl]

So we've been putting people in jail for having a gene?

[ajm8127]

Not quite. Your genes don't go and withdrawal money from your account, drive to your dealer, and pay him. But the real questions is if you do cocaine in the comfort of your own home, is it really a crime?

[hoopesaz]

If you define "crime" as performing some action that is contrary to the law, then yes, it is a crime. I think your question is, "should it be a crime?". Until there is some change in the law, use of cocaine in your house, on a plane, in a car, or in the rain...it is a crime.