A recent study in which rats could self-administer cannabis vapor may provide a useful research model for humans. With the legalization of marijuana in some countries and regions within the United States, investigations into its short- and long term-effects on humans have taken on a greater urgency.
Although it has proven difficult to construct animal studies that produce behavioral data applicable to humans, a study from Washington State University’s (WSU) Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience unit in Pullman purports to have done exactly that. The recent study found that rats exposed to cannabis vapor respond in much the same way as humans who smoke marijuana do. Ryan J.