It has long been thought that nicotine in tobacco products can act as a gateway drug, increasing a person’s likelihood of abusing cocaine and perhaps other drugs as well.
Most drug users report smoking cigarettes or alcohol abuse before trying drugs. This model has been very controversial as to whether smoking, alcohol or marijuana leads to later drug use.
In a current study by Columbia University, New York it was found that mice exposed to nicotine showed an increased response to cocaine. Researchers also studied humans to see if the results from mice paralleled the effect on humans. It was found that the rate of cocaine dependence was higher among cocaine users who smoked prior to starting cocaine compared to those who tried cocaine prior to smoking.
These findings suggest that quitting smoking there is not only an effect on the negative health effects of smoking but also on drug usage.
This is only one of the many negative effects that smoking has and it does make sense to stop smoking.
