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14A -West Hawoii.TQdey day, Juue 27,1997 Study: Marijuana leads to Harder drugs By PAUL RECER corner across might-provide relief. Once the relief is AP Science Writer experienced, [hen the use of that drug is reinforced." WASHINGTON -Chronic use of marijuana taus- A second study in Science, by Italian researchers, es chemical changes that may prime the brain for also linked marijuana and heroin. That study found addiction to cocaine and heroin, according [o a study [ha[ both drugs affect processing of a neurochemical that provides the first hazd scientific support for the called dopamine in [he so-called "reward pathways" contention that marijuana can be a gateway to harder of the brain. drugs. Marijuana is often described as a relatively harmless Changes in brain chemistry caused by using maxi- drug by those who advocate loosening laws against its Juana are the same as those caused by withdrawal from use. cocaine, heroin and alcohol abuse, according [o the A proposition recently passed in California calls for research in laboratory rats. permitting medical uses of marijuana by allowing doc- In effect, chronic use of marijuana sets up a chemi- tors to prescribe the drug. cal pattern in [he brain [hat increases the susceptibility In Washington, the National Organization for [he to using any drug to relieve symptoms of withdrawal Reform of Marijuana Laws continues to lobby for or in response to stress, said Friedbert Weiss of Scripps decriminalizing marijuana, contending it is not astep- Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. ping stone to hard drug use. "lt becomes a vicious cycle of dependence," said Dr. Lester Grinspoon of Harvard University, who is Weiss, senior author of the study to be published associated with NORML, cautioned that the Weiss Friday in the journal Science. study using rats "tray be good science," but may not The study shows that withdrawal symptoms from relate to humans. the use of marijuana are like [hose of "other drugs of "When you study drug abuse, you have to look at a abuse," said Dr. Alan I. Leshner, director of the lot of social issues, which you can't do with rats," National Institute on Drug Abuse, one of the National Grinspoon said. Institutes of Health. Many studies have attempted to link marijuana use "We know that a substantial number of chronic: mar- to later addiction to harder drugs, but the link has ijuana users become addicted, and previous research never been proven, said Dr. John P. Morgan of the City with animals has shown that stopping heavy marijua- University of New York medical school, who is also na use suddenly can cause distinct withdrawal symp- associated with NORML. He said Weiss' study also toms," said Leshner. fails [o do this. The research is the first to Iegd clear evidence that "The business of looking for an effect in the brain is marijuana use causes chemical changes in the brain interesting science, but it tells you nothing about the that can be directly linked to stress and anxiety that are gateway effect to using other drags at large in soci- relieved by drug use, Weiss said. ety," he said. "Chronic drug abuse often enhances the effects of The study was a joint effort by Scripps Research stress," said Weiss. "Any drug that an individual Institute and the Complutense University of Madrid.