You’ve probably heard stories about people getting their pets high on marijuana. Usually, animals do not have voluntary access to drugs. When they do have access to drugs, will non-human animals seek out drugs, and can they become addicted to drugs like humans can?

Question

A.Yes. Drugs typically work by mimicking neurotransmitters which are evolutionarily old and present in many animals, including humans. Physical addiction is thus possible for non-human animals.
B.No. Experiencing effects of psychoactive drugs requires a state of altered consciousness. Only humans experience true consciousness.
C.Yes. Animals will seek drugs, but only when the search does not interfere with the normal instinctive behavior, such as mating and grooming. They will search, but will not become addicted.
D.No. Non-human animals cannot experience psychological dependence, and both psychological and physical dependence are necessary for true addiction.

Answer 1

A.Yes. Drugs typically work by mimicking neurotransmitters which are evolutionarily old and present in many animals, including humans. Physical addiction is thus possible for non-human animals.

Psychoactive drugs work by mimicking the body’s natural neurotransmitters. What we consider an altered state of consciousness is actually just a change in the levels of naturally occurring neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters are evolutionarily old and can be found in animals ranging from sea slugs to spider monkeys. Students should be aware that lab rats (like humans) abuse drugs such as cocaine even when the drug abuse interferes with normal instinctive behavior. Research has shown lab rats will choose cocaine over sleep, reproductive behavior, and even food! In short, animals typically do not have access to psychoactive drugs. However, one exposed to these drugs, non-human animals will experience the same physiological changes as humans do.