In 1986, 22-year-old Boston Celtics forward Len Bias died of a cocaine overdose. This week, DrugMonkey argued that Bias' death--as opposed to educational programs like DARE--was the major reason why self-reported rates of cocaine use by 20-year-olds dropped from 20% in the mid-1980s to 7% in the early 1990s.
Now go and do the survey and check back in a week for the results.
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A recent study published in J.Neuroscience by Stanwood et al. may help explain the long-term neurological effects associated with cocaine use while pregnant, the so-called "crack baby syndrome" which was of great concern in the 1980s.
Benzoylecgonine is the primary metabolite of cocaine - it's actually just cocaine minus a methyl group. It's not really used as an intoxicant, but it does have one interesting use: figuring out just how much cocaine people are using.
In medical terminology, addiction is a state in which the body relies on a substance for normal functioning and develops physical dependence.
I love it when I stumble upon a study that I really wish I'd thought of.