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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Enzyme indicates cannabis, alcohol use and depression
Surgery Door
Monday 15 Jul 2002 Levels of an enzyme called adenylyl cyclase might prove useful in identifying recent alcohol or cannabis use, and possibly depression, say US researchers. Dr Paula Hoffman and colleagues from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center showed that people who had recently consumed alcohol or used marijuana had higher levels of this enzyme in their blood than those who had not. The researchers also found a link between adenylyl cyclase levels and depression. People with a history of depression were more likely to have low adenylyl cyclase activity levels and Dr Hoffman and her team believe this association might point to a genetic factor in depression. The study of nearly 1,500 people from five different countries showed that adenylyl cyclase activity was more sensitive to alcohol consumption in those with a family history of alcoholism than in people without such a genetic susceptibility. However, because the activity levels fluctuated so much and were sensitive to recent drinking, measuring the enzyme's behaviour was not considered a consistent method of assessing a susceptibility to alcoholism. The study's authors also discovered that adenylyl cyclase activity levels were substantially higher in chronic cannabis users. This, they suggested, may be a product of using the drug or the result of an abnormal metabolism in those prone to taking cannabis. Their findings regarding the relationship between the enzyme and cannabis use come after UK Home Secretary David Blunkett last week announced that he is going to reclassify the drug from Class B to Class C. The research is published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
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