He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. ~Roy L Smith
A new study suggests that the same genes that make people susceptible to alcoholism are responsible for becoming addicted to marijuana.
The researchers interviewed almost 6300 men and women aged 24 to 36, including almost 2,800 sets of twins, about their use of alcohol and marijuana.
Twins are valuable to medical researchers in determining the role genetics plays in the expression of diseases. Identical twins share 100 percent of their genes, while fraternal twins share 50 percent of their genes, the same as other siblings.
According to the study, about 60 percent of the likelihood of becoming a heavy drinker, a frequent marijuana user or of becoming dependent on marijuana can be linked to genes. About fifty percent of becoming an alcoholic can be attributed to genetics.
“We know there is a high likelihood of alcohol addiction-related problems among people who smoke marijuana heavily and vice versa,” said study author Carolyn E. Sartor, a research instructor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
“What we found is that some of the same genetic influences that impact alcohol use and dependent symptoms also impact marijuana use and dependent symptoms.”
Between 40 and 50 percent of the cause of alcohol or marijuana dependence may be due to environmental influences. Despite a genetic tendency, no one is predestined to abuse either substance.