November 3, 2011   Nicotine appears to be a potent “gateway” drug that enhances the effects of cocaine and possibly boosts the chances of becoming addicted, researchers reported Wednesday in a landmark paper on drug addiction. While the study was performed in lowly mice, the findings suggest that reducing smoking and the use of other tobacco products—and even nicotine replacement products and exposure to secondhand smoke—in humans may have the bilateral impact of curbing addiction to other addictive substances.
“If our findings in mice apply to humans, a decrease in smoking rates in young people would be expected to lead to a decrease in cocaine addiction,” the authors wrote.

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