Abstract
More than 3 million deaths a year are attributable to smoking worldwide, and the use of tobacco is on the rise in developing countries. Consequently, tobacco use is one of the few causes of mortality that is increasing, with deaths projected to reach 10 million annually in 30–40 years. Cannabinoids, which are usually abused by humans in the form of marijuana, have become the most frequently abused illicit class of drugs, but no pharmacological treatment is currently available to treat marijuana abuse and dependence. Although the dopaminergic system plays a critical role in reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse, other neurotransmitters system are implicated as well. Here we will review recent findings obtained with antagonists targeting the cannabinoid CB1 receptor, the dopamine D3 receptor and the opioids receptors. These approaches that modulate directly or indirectly dopaminergic transmission represent promising approaches for the treatment of tobacco and marijuana dependences in humans that should be validated in clinical trials.
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