How many people remember the D.A.R.E. school assemblies? With the normalization and decriminalization of marijuana, was that big lion lying to us about the implications of using a “gateway drug”?
THC, found in marijuana, works by reducing cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) through mediation of G-protein coupled CB1R receptors. These receptors are found in the dopaminergic pathways, acting on presynaptic glutamatergic and GABA nerve terminals, regulating dopamine transmission. However, there is varying evidence of the effects of THC on dopamine synthesis and transmission – one review seeing increases in dopamine uptake as well as decreases, depending on dosage, in mice. Human studies show that dependent cannabis users have decreased dopamine synthesis capacity, leading to further dependency.
This leads me to think about a few different things: Was the D.A.R.E lion telling the truth - is marijuana a gateway drug to more illicit substances that also act on dopamine synthesis and uptake, such as amphetamines? Could long term marijuana use reduce dopamine synthesis to the point of inducing diseases like Parkinson’s? Could diseases characterized by too much dopamine, like schizophrenia, be treated with long term THC use?
References:
Bloomfield, M. A., Ashok, A. H., Volkow, N. D., & Howes, O. D. (2016). The effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on the dopamine system. Nature, 539(7629), 369–377. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature20153
Bloomfield, M. A., Morgan, C. J., Egerton, A., Kapur, S., Curran, H. V., & Howes, O. D. (2014). Dopaminergic function in cannabis users and its relationship to cannabis-induced psychotic symptoms. Biological psychiatry, 75(6), 470–478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.05.027
Being able to add pictures adds so many possibilities to this blog thing. I remember hearing somewhere that D.A.R.E. actually increased drug use and just sort of made kids curious. I did find an article showing that it was found to have very little impact. But I always thought describing marijuana as a "gateway drug" was a strange strategy.
ReplyDeletehttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1448384/
I do agree that making marijuana the "gateway drug" for D.A.R.E's marketing standpoint definitely was a weird way to go. I think in terms of gateway drugs there are far more worse options that genuinely do lead to other or additional drug use. I did remember hearing as well about DARE actually increasing drug use since their approach was "just say no" and an absitenance approach. Given that same approach when talking about sex for younger individuals has actually increased curiosity and instances of underage sex, I can see how kids were wanting to try just to see what the "fuss" was about. I don't think of course any kids should be involving themselves with any drugs but we have to find better ways to answer their questions and field their curiosity without enticing them to do said drugs.
DeleteReferences:
https://www.npr.org/2023/11/09/1211217460/fentanyl-drug-education-dare
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10146478/
The concept of "just say no" simply does not work, similar to when children ask "why?" and the answer is "because", does not actually quench their curiosity and rather makes them push back more. While the abstinence only approach to sex tends to not work, when paired with further discussions like contraception options, STI protection, and reproductive health discussions, there has been success in delaying sexual intercourse. I bring this up because I wonder if this could be translated to the D.A.R.E. program, rather than telling students to 'say no' and using scare techniques I believe it could be beneficial to fully inform them of how drugs can impact the body, long term repercussions of use, and also how to appropriately use if they choose to do so. Really taking a harm reduction approach, because as many of us know, whether we say "don't do drugs" or not, there may be individuals who do. I believe it is better to have them prepared to make an informed decision of whether to consume it or not and how to do so safely to decrease the risks associated. This tends to be a controversial opinion as many believe that teaching individuals how to use drugs safely will encourage drug usage, but I believe that there will be drug usage no matter and it is important to provide safety measures like proper narcan usage and clean needles. As drugs become more prominent, is teaching harm reduction and allowing children to make informed decisions the right way? Or is abstinence the better option?
DeleteReference:
Santelli, J., Ott, M. A., Lyon, M., Rogers, J., & Summers, D. (2006). Abstinence-only education policies and programs: a position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 38(1), 83–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.06.002
Thank you for writing on this topic! Marijuana has many excellent medicinal properties in addition to being used recreationally. I do find it interesting that marijuana is labeled as a "gateway drug," as there is no strong causal evidence for this, and yet, D.A.R.E. and others would like us to think otherwise. This reminds me of the "Got Milk?" campaign from the late 1990s to early 2000s. This campaign heavily emphasized the nutritional value of milk and its immense impact on bone development. Although there is not enough evidence to support that consuming more cow's milk builds stronger bones. Milk is a good source of nutrients for maximizing/supporting bone mass, and yet countries with high consumption tend to be the highest in hip fracture rates (brittle bones/osteoporosis). It raises questions about the consistent use of mass media campaigns to promote "healthier" behaviors. Is this to benefit the public or the big companies monetarily? Not to get all conspiracy theorist, but there were campaigns for smoking (nicotine) before there were those who emphasized the moral/ethical impact of normalizing nicotine use towards young children. Is DARE demonizing marijuana and distracting us from proven issues?
ReplyDeleteReferences
Hidayat, K., Chen, J. S., Wang, T. C., Liu, Y. J., Shi, Y. J., Su, H. W., Liu, B., & Qin, L. Q. (2022). The Effects of Milk Supplementation on Bone Health Indices in Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 13(4), 1186–1199. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmab136