My main research interests include adolescent drug use, and how such use may impact drug use later in life. The abuse potential of a drug can be viewed as a balance between its rewarding and aversive properties, and any factors that affect these properties may alter the response to the drug. Since prior drug history has been shown to effect later drug use, and drug use is often initiated in adolescence, it is important to understand the specific long-term effects of adolescent drug use. Recently, I have been looking at how the use of drugs such as nicotine and alcohol (commonly considered to be "gateway" drugs) during adolescence may effect the aversive properties of other drugs such as cocaine in adulthood.