Heredity May Determine Whether Marijuana Feels Good

WASHINGTON Heredity may determine whether people feel good or bad when
they use marijuana, and the same genetic influence might also apply to
alcohol and cocaine, U.S. scientists reported Friday.

"The finding that genetic factors contribute to how an individual feels
after using marijuana opens new avenues for prevention and treatment
research," said Dr. Alan Leshner, director of the U.S. National Institute
on Drug Abuse, which funded the marijuana study.

In the research, male identical twins were found more likely than
nonidentical male twins to report similar responses to marijuana use.
Identical twins share all the same genes; fraternal twins share about half.

More than 600 pairs of twins who reported using marijuana more than five
times were asked if they experienced each of 23 possible reactions, ranging
from confused or paranoid to relaxed or mellow, after marijuana use.

The study found that those who responded positively tended to use the drug
more often, but the reactions to marijuana were more similar for identical
twins than fraternal twins. This led the study's authors to believe that
genes may control individuals' responses to the drug.

The study's authors also believe their finding might apply to the use of
other substances such as alcohol and cocaine, the institute said in a
statement.

The specific gene that influences response to marijuana could not be
identified in this study.

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