Faced with the rise in the consumption of cannabis, the first illicit psychoactive substance to be tested by young people in France, researchers from the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) have looked into the phenomenon of addiction and the difficulty experienced by people “addicted” to curb their desire for consumption. “When left untreated, addictions often have a tragic outcome. This can be directly linked to the excessive use of the substance or caused by the long term side effects ” explain the researchers .
It was while working on this phenomenon of addiction that researchers discovered the importance of a hormone, present in the brain, which acts as a brake against the harmful effects of drugs. According to their study, published in the American journal Science, this hormone (pregnenolone) acts on the pleasure created by addiction to cannabis.
This discovery is the first step towards developing a drug that could be prescribed to those who want to quit cannabis. “Pregnenolone cannot be used as such as a drug because it is poorly absorbed and rapidly metabolized by the body” explains Pier Vincenzo Piazza, researcher at Inserm. But a stable derivative has been developed. So far, this drug has only been tested on rats but clinical studies in humans could start within 18 months. Note that pregnenolone acts only on cannabis dependence. Cocaine, morphine, nicotine and alcohol are not affected.
