Cocaine

A new study has provided the first evidence of a link between the gut microbiome and cocaine use and the cravings that follow withdrawal. The findings open the door to potential treatments for drug addiction and relapse prevention.

Drug lord Pablo Escobar may be long gone, however he’s still wreaking havoc on his native Colombia thanks to his escaped hippos. Scientists have now discovered there are twice as many as previously thought, and they don't know what to do about it.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have identified a previously unknown mechanism of cocaine’s activity in the brain, which could open new types of treatment for addiction to the drug. Intriguingly, it seems to work differently in male and female mice.

Canadian researchers are reporting the results of a clinical trial testing the efficacy of CBD in helping cocaine addicts kick the habit. The results suggest CBD does not reduce cocaine cravings or help prevent relapse into addiction.

A thousand-year-old pouch in Bolivia has revealed traces of several psychoactive compounds, indicating not only some of the earliest archeological evidence of ayahuasca use but also other intoxicants. The find suggests significant plant knowledge and a broad ancient plant trading network.

A novel form of treatment could help cut back on a person’s desire for cocaine and reduce its damaging effect in the body. The method involves removing a small patch of skin, introducing genes that produce cocaine-degrading enzymes, and then grafting it back onto the patient.

​We're getting one step closer to a portable, practical and affordable "cocaine breathalyzer," thanks to research being conducted at the University at Buffalo. Scientists there have created a chip that detects the drug in samples of a person's blood, breath, urine or saliva.

Why do some cocaine users become addicts while others don’t? One popular theory attributes it to poor judgement. However the accidental creation of a cocaine-resistant mouse suggests otherwise – that for some people, drug addiction might be wired into their genes. ​​

​​While there are already portable systems designed to detect cocaine in peoples' systems, they can't tell how much of the drug has been taken. That's where a new test comes in. Not only is it reportedly more reliable than existing technology, but it also measures quantities of cocaine in the body.​

A collaborative team of researchers has developed a new, non-invasive test that's able to detect cocaine use in a patient by analyzing a single fingerprint. Unlike existing tests, the new technique is able to determine whether the subject has ingested the drug, rather than just touched it.

Scientists have been able to instantly cure rats of cocaine addiction, by applying laser light to their brains.

This fascinating article details the use of naturally-occurring psychoactive substances by the animal kingdom.