Nicotine enhances intravenous self-administration of cannabinoids in adult rats.

This article investigates the effects of nicotine on cannabinoid self-administration using a rodent model, focusing on the synthetic cannabinoid WIN 55,212-2 (WIN) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive component of cannabis. The study demonstrates that both non-contingent (pre-session injections) and volitional nicotine intake enhance self-administration of WIN and THC in rats, while cannabinoid availability does not increase nicotine self-administration. Using a dual intravenous self-administration procedure, nicotine was shown to acutely increase intake of cannabinoids and saline, but this reinforcement-enhancing effect was reversible and specific to nicotine presence. These findings suggest that nicotine's reinforcement-enhancing properties extend to cannabinoids, potentially contributing to increased cannabinoid use during concurrent nicotine exposure.