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Is Marijuana "healthier" than cocaine?
大麻比可卡因“健康”吗?
Hi everyone! Crystal, your friendly molecular neuroscientist, here for DNews.
大家好！我是克里斯托，我是大家的朋友，搞分子神经研究的，欢迎大家收听今天的DNews。
Whenever we read the news,
每次看新闻，
we see new information about the positive benefits of marijuana and more reasons why cocaine is really, really, bad for you.
我们都能看到说大麻是如何有益，可卡因如何有害的新闻。
Recent studies report cocaine use leading to everything from tissue damage in your eye,
最近的研究报告显示，服用可卡因会导致包括眼睛组织受损，
to an impaired ability to see the unfavorable consequences of your actions.
预见自身行为可能造成怎样的不良后果的能力减弱等各种疾病。
Why is that?
这是为什么呢?
Is it just a case of one being more “organic“?
只是一个说明两者中的某一方更“有机”的例子吗?
No. No its not.
不不不，不是。
Cocaine and marijuana come from plants, so I guess they can both be considered "natural products".
可卡因和大麻都来自植物，所以我想，它们都可以被称为“天然产物”吧。
But they activate completely different systems in our brains.
但两者在我们大脑中激活的是完全不同的系统。
Cocaine is so popular because it is really great at activating our brain's "pleasure center".
可卡因之所以如此受欢迎，是因为它真的很擅长激活我们大脑的“快乐中枢”。
When our neurons are sent swimming in dopamine, it make us feel really, really good.
当我们的神经元被输送到多巴胺里游走时，就会让我们感觉非常非常舒服。
For the half hour or hour that the drug is active in our system, we feel happy, alert, euphoric, and invincible. Which is great!
药物在我们体内活跃的半小时到一个小时内，我们会感到快乐、警觉、愉悦而且不可战胜。这当然很好！
Except when it causes us to act irrationally, make self destructive choices, and the source of that high becomes dangerously addictive.
只可惜，这种毒品会让我们做出非理性的行为，做出自我毁灭的选择，而且，这种快感的来源具有非常危险的成瘾性。
Cocaine use is dangerous not just because the drug is highly addictive,
服用可卡因之所以危险，不仅是因为它极易成瘾，
but because, like methamphetamine, it is a powerful stimulant that has an effect on our bodies as well as our brains.
还因为它像甲基苯丙胺一样，是一种强大的兴奋剂，对我们的身体和大脑都有影响。
Cocaine use can lead to an inability to regulate body temperature
吸食可卡因会导致我们无法调节自身的体温，
and at the right doses, it interferes with cardiac function leading to high-blood pressure, arrhythmia, and death.
而且，在适当的剂量下，这种毒品还会干扰心脏功能，引发高血压、心律失常甚至是死亡。
Cocaine has been used in a medical context as well.
可卡因也被用于了医学领域。
It is used sparingly as a numbing agent in nose and mouth surgeries,
鼻口外科手术会用少量的可卡因作麻醉剂，
but that usage can hardly be considered therapeutic and its potency and addictive qualities,
但那样的剂量很难被认为有什么治疗性，其效力和成瘾性，
not to mention its schedule II status as a controlled substance, make it undesirable as an anaesthetic.
更不用说它的附表II作为一种受管制物质的状态了，都让它成了不受欢迎的麻醉剂。
On the other hand, a wealth of research has been performed revealing the positive health benefits of marijuana.
另一方面，大量的研究已经揭示了大麻对健康的积极作用。
But perhaps the most interesting characteristic of this controversial plant are its anti-breast cancer properties.
但也许这种备受争议的植物最有意思的特性还是其抗乳腺癌的作用。
There's been a lot of discussion over "compassionate use" of marijuana
关于大麻的“慈善性用药”有很多讨论，
due to reports that it helps patients undergoing chemo battle pain and nausea, and increases their appetite.
因为据报道，它可以帮助化疗患者战胜疼痛和恶心，并增加他们的食欲。
But quietly published studies are beginning to reveal
但悄悄发表的研究已经逐渐揭示，
that compounds found in cannabis may directly inhibit the growth of some breast cancer cells which is an exciting result for medicine.
大麻中发现的化合物或许能直接抑制某些乳腺癌细胞的生长，这对医学来说堪称是一个激动人心的发现。
Despite its legalization in many states, marijuana is still listed as a highly controlled substance by the US government ,
尽管大麻在许多州都已经合法化了，但美国政府仍将其列入了高度管制物质名单，
a classification that makes research on this drug challenging to perform in the US.
这一分类也使得这种药物的研究在美国变得十分有挑战性。
Given the current academic literature, I'd say marijuana wins by a mile in terms of health benefits when compared to cocaine,
根据目前的学术研究文献，我认为，与可卡因相比，大麻对健康的益处要大得多，
but please remember the use of the term "healthy" is relative!
但大家还是要记住，“健康”这个词的使用是相对的!
And not only is the composition of the drug important, how its used, and the environment it's used in, is important too.
不仅药物的成分很重要，它的使用方式，以及使用的环境也很重要。
Lastly, neither I nor DNews condones the illegal use of drugs, so be smart out there and stay healthy.
最后，无论是我个人，还是我们DNews栏目对非法使用毒品都是零容忍态度，所以大家最好放聪明点，健健康康的。
What do you think? Could there be health benefits to cocaine?
你觉得呢？可卡因可能对健康有益吗？
Subscribe to DNews and let us know in the comments below.
别忘了订阅，并在下面的评论中告诉我们噢。
You can also find more on drugs and the brain by following me on twitter @PolycrystalhD.
你还可以关注我的推特 @PolycrystalhD，了解更多关于毒品和大脑的信息喔。
