(DailyDig.com) – Drug addiction is an all-too-common problem among humans, and unfortunately, there’s no shortage of available substances, either. That being said, like everything humans do, even drug addiction eventually impacts our environment.
Researchers in Central Europe are seeing these consequences first-hand after discovering the presence of methed-out trout. Yes, you read that right — the area’s native fish are somehow managing to get incredibly “high” on stimulants.
BEST HEADLINE OF THE WEEK >>> Junkie Pee is Turning Trout into Meth Heads – https://t.co/CVtEYcRDs8
— Johnny Gwin (@thejohnnygwin) July 12, 2021
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology shows they aren’t getting it from Walter White of Breaking Bad notoriety, either.
Lead researcher Pavel Horky tested 40 trout for methamphetamines during the study. He says the fish aren’t being force-fed drugs; instead, they swim in water laced with methamphetamine every single day. The substance enters the water table as runoff from toilets and sewage systems used by people abusing or using meth.
Horky says that, when drugs find their way into waterways, they can cause addiction in fish and even change their preference in habitat. Fish will seek out environments where the drug is present, rather than moving to clearer and safer waterways instead.
The study suggests this newly found trend could potentially cause problems not just for individual fish, but the entire population. That’s often the case when humans become addicted to methamphetamine, too. Perhaps it’s time for a much broader intervention.
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