[…] the way drugs are often portrayed as nothing but harmful and
damaging is quite disconcerting; it suggests that taking drugs
is akin to trying to increase the speed of your computer by
pouring coffee over the motherboard; you’re going to experience
a lot of new sights, sounds and smells, but cause irreversible
damage in the process. That’s not how it works. Many drugs are
effective because they work on systems in the brain that are
already there. Opiates like heroin work on opiate receptors,
cocaine affects the dopamine system (amongst others). The brain
and body have evolved over millions of years to recognise and
utilise these chemicals, and drugs typically work because they
are analogous to the substances that occur naturally in our
bodies. E.g. cannabis works because the brain has endogenous
cannabinoids. ↳ Dean Burnett on the recent study that states
that cannabis use is linked to reduced IQ.