Study: Stressed rats more likely to seek pot

A new study shows it might not just be stressed-out people who like to relax with a little cannabis.

Stressed-out rats were more likely to seek relief from cannabis than their non-stressed counterparts. Researchers at Washington State University said that’s what they found when they gave rats the option of sticking their noses into a port containing cannabis vapor.

Rats with higher stress dosed more frequently

They found that rodents — with higher baseline stress hormones — chose to self-dose more frequently.

The scientists said they ran the rodents through a battery of behavioral and biological tests.

“What we found was that when we look at all of these different factors and all the variables, stress levels seem to matter the most when it comes to cannabis use,” Ryan McLaughlin, associate professor in the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine, said.

Researchers said now that more states are legalizing pot and cannabis products, it’s important to better understand the effects of the drug and who’s drawn to it.

The study is published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

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