Scientists Have Found A Way To Make Marijuana Un-Fun
Cannabis Bud Wikimedia Commons Researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the University of Massachusetts Medical School have found a way to block the dopamine rush associated with THC, the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana, in order to reduce pot use among people with a psychological dependence on the drug. Though the risk of dependence is relatively low compared to other drugs, for those people who do seek help for an out-of-control pot habit, there's no current medical cure available. THC is one of the ingredients that makes marijuana fun for the brain. According to some models of how cannabis works in the brain—though other studies have disputed this—THC stimulates the dopamine neurons in the brain's ventral segmental area (VTA), which then increases the amount of dopamine released in the...