Feature Channels: Drugs and Drug Abuse

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Released: 21-Jun-2021 2:05 PM EDT
New Diagnostic Method May Predict Relapse Risk for Those Recovering from Prescription Opioid Addiction
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Rutgers scientists have used a diagnostic technique for the first time in the opioid addiction field that they believe has the potential to determine which opioid-addicted patients are more likely to relapse.

13-Jun-2021 1:05 PM EDT
About the Cannabis and Alcohol Relationship: It’s Complicated
Research Society on Alcoholism

Not only is cannabis the most commonly used illicit – in a number of states – drug among people who drink alcohol, cannabis is also by far the most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S. overall. New research findings tease out the nuanced relationship between alcohol and cannabis through a survey of regular cannabis users who also report drinking alcohol, as well as heavy drinkers in treatment who also use cannabis. These findings will be shared at the 44th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA), which due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be held virtually this year from the 19th - 23rd of June 2021.

   
Released: 10-Jun-2021 10:40 AM EDT
Researchers Test Model to Predict Drug Overdose Deaths in U.S.
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at UC San Diego, San Diego State University, and international collaborators have designed and validated a prediction model to signal counties at risk of future overdose death outbreaks.

Released: 9-Jun-2021 4:15 PM EDT
Predisposition to Addiction May Be Genetic
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

People who have a high sensation-seeking personality trait may be more likely to develop an addiction to cocaine, according to a Rutgers study.

Released: 7-Jun-2021 9:30 AM EDT
Loyola Medicine Medication Take Back Day to Provide Safe Disposal of Old Medications for Local Community
Loyola Medicine

Loyola Medicine’s Opioid Task Force, in partnership with the Cook County Sheriff's Department, is organizing a Medication Take Back Day for community members, patients and colleagues to safely dispose of their old medications on Friday, June 11 from 10 am – 2 pm in the Loyola Outpatient Center (2160 S. First Ave., Maywood).

Released: 2-Jun-2021 12:10 PM EDT
UM Avenir Award Recipient to Leverage Telehealth to Reach Injection Drug Users
University of Miami Health System, Miller School of Medicine

The $2.3 million, four-year Avenir Award will support his innovative research project, “Tele-Harm Reduction for Rapid Initiation of Antiretrovirals in People Who Inject Drugs: A Randomized Controlled Trial.”

Released: 21-May-2021 9:55 AM EDT
A treatment barrier falls, but more remain, for people with opioid issues
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Now that a key policy regarding prescription of a medication for opioid use disorder has been changed, experts reflect on the remaining challenges standing in the way of more people getting effective medication-assisted treatment, and discuss efforts to overcome those barriers.

Released: 19-May-2021 2:35 PM EDT
Single fingerprint at a crime scene detects class A drug usage
University of Surrey

The latest findings show that with clever science, a single fingerprint left at a crime scene could be used to determine whether someone has touched or ingested class A drugs.

Released: 18-May-2021 5:05 PM EDT
Swiss farmers contributed to the domestication of the opium poppy
University of Basel

Fields of opium poppies once bloomed where the Zurich Opera House underground garage now stands.

Released: 17-May-2021 2:00 PM EDT
Civil commitment for substance use disorder treatment – What do addiction medicine specialists think?
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

Amid the rising toll of opioid overdoses and deaths in the U.S., several states are considering laws enabling civil commitment for involuntary treatment of patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). Most addiction medicine physicians support civil commitment for SUD treatment – but others strongly oppose this approach, reports a survey study in Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

30-Apr-2021 11:45 AM EDT
New Research Finds Rise of Frequent Cannabis Vaping Among U.S. High School Seniors
NYU Langone Health

Frequent cannabis vaping, defined as vaping at least 10 times a month, more than doubled among high school seniors in the United States between 2018 and 2019, according to new research from NYU Grossman School of Medicine published online May 4 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Released: 28-Apr-2021 2:30 PM EDT
Lack of educational opportunities influence drug use for rural youth
University of Missouri, Columbia

Having grown up poor in a rural village in Zimbabwe, Wilson Majee saw firsthand as a child the lack of educational opportunities that were easily accessible and how that impacted the youth in his village.

20-Apr-2021 2:20 PM EDT
Cannabis Use Disorder Rate Rose among Pregnant Women between 2001-2012
UC San Diego Health

Babies born to mothers diagnosed with cannabis use disorder are more likely to experience negative health outcomes, such as preterm birth and low birth weight, than babies born to mothers without a cannabis use disorder diagnosis, report UC San Diego researchers.

Released: 15-Apr-2021 4:00 PM EDT
June 2021 Issue of AJPH Comprises the Effects of COVID-19 on Drug Overdoses, E-cigarette Use, and Public Health Measures and Strategies
American Public Health Association (APHA)

June 2021 AJPH Issue highlights COVID-19 concerns in relation to fatal drug overdoses, drops in youth e-cigarette use, importance of public health measures, and strategies to protect correctional staff.

   
Released: 13-Apr-2021 3:30 PM EDT
Smoking cannabis significantly impairs vision, study finds
University of Granada

Smoking cannabis significantly impairs vision but many users are unaware of it

Released: 12-Apr-2021 5:05 PM EDT
Psychedelic Experience May Not be Required for Psilocybin’s Antidepressant-like Benefits, UM School of Medicine Study Shows
University of Maryland School of Medicine

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers have shown that psilocybin—the active chemical in “magic mushrooms”— still works its antidepressant-like actions, at least in mice, even when the psychedelic experience is blocked.

Released: 12-Apr-2021 3:05 PM EDT
Scientists Reveal COVID-19 News, Next Frontier in Fighting Substance Abuse, More
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)

Register for online access to cutting-edge science at Experimental Biology 2021, April 27–30

   
17-Mar-2021 9:00 AM EDT
Drug used during pregnancy may increase cancer risk in mother’s adult children
Endocrine Society

Exposure in the womb to a drug used to prevent miscarriage appears to raise the offspring’s cancer risk decades later, especially for colorectal and prostate cancers, researchers have found. They will present the results of their new study Tuesday at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting.

16-Mar-2021 12:15 PM EDT
Staff Dedication Key To Patient Satisfaction with Substance Use Treatment Facilities, Study Shows
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Researchers at Penn Medicine used machine learning-aided analysis to uncover top positive and negative themes in patient Yelp reviews of substance use treatment facilities

Released: 11-Mar-2021 1:55 PM EST
Sharp reductions in costs of producing cannabis, fentanyl likely to spur widespread changes in use, dependence
Carnegie Mellon University

The legalization of cannabis and the arrival of nonmedical fentanyl are fundamentally changing drug markets in North America.

Released: 12-Feb-2021 10:55 AM EST
Death by suicide? Drug overdoses muddy waters for investigators, amplify national mental health crisis
West Virginia University

Broadening the definition of self-inflicted mortality to encompass most drug overdose deaths, WVU emeritus professor Ian Rockett led a study finding that the entire nation is afflicted by a mental health crisis. In recent years, western states have reported more suicides but Rockett’s research revealed that many drug overdose deaths in non-western states should have been classified as suicides.

Released: 28-Jan-2021 3:20 PM EST
Legal cannabis stores linked to fewer opioid deaths in the United States
BMJ

Findings may have implications for tackling opioid misuse

Released: 27-Jan-2021 11:00 AM EST
Patients who take opioids for pain can’t get in the door at more than half of primary care clinics
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

People who take opioid medications for chronic pain may have a hard time finding a new primary care clinic that will take them on as a patient if they need one, according to a new “secret shopper” study of hundreds of clinics across the country.

Released: 21-Jan-2021 11:05 AM EST
Modified pain management strategy reduces opioid exposure to trauma patients, study shows
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

A pain management regimen comprised mostly of over-the-counter medication reduced opioid exposure in trauma patients while achieving equal levels of pain control, according to a new study by physician-researchers at UTHealth.

19-Jan-2021 3:15 PM EST
Opiate Overdoses Spike in Black Philadelphians, But Drop in White Residents Since COVID-19
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

New research into opioid overdoses that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted new disparities along racial lines that are likely fueled by existing inequality

Released: 13-Jan-2021 5:05 PM EST
New Combination Drug Therapy Offers Hope Against Methamphetamine Addiction
UT Southwestern Medical Center

DALLAS – Jan. 13, 2021 – A new treatment that combines two existing medications may provide long-sought relief for many battling debilitating methamphetamine use disorder, according to a study to be published tomorrow in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Released: 12-Jan-2021 11:00 AM EST
Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) Establishes Scientific Advisory Council to Advance Initiatives Addressing the Nationwide Opioid Crisis
Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE)

The Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) today announced the establishment of its Scientific Advisory Council to provide program-related guidance to assist the Foundation in addressing the nation’s opioid crisis.

Released: 8-Jan-2021 4:45 PM EST
More than half of people using cannabis for pain experience multiple withdrawal symptoms
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

More than half of people who use medical marijuana products to ease pain also experience clusters of multiple withdrawal symptoms when they’re between uses, a new study finds. And about 10% of the patients taking part in the study experienced worsening changes to their sleep, mood, mental state, energy and appetite over the next two years as they continued to use cannabis.

Released: 8-Jan-2021 3:20 PM EST
News Release: S&T Seeks Industry Participation in Battle Against Opioids
Homeland Security's Science And Technology Directorate

DHS S&T is working with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) on a multi-phase study to improve detection of synthetic opioids.

   
Released: 7-Jan-2021 10:05 AM EST
The Link Between Opioid Medication and Pancreatic Cancer
RUSH

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center have found that opioid use might increase a person's risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Released: 28-Dec-2020 11:25 AM EST
One psychedelic experience may lessen trauma of racial injustice
Ohio State University

A single positive experience on a psychedelic drug may help reduce stress, depression and anxiety symptoms in Black, Indigenous and people of color whose encounters with racism have had lasting harm, a new study suggests.

Released: 21-Dec-2020 2:10 PM EST
Cannabis could reduce fentanyl use, reduce overdose risk
University of British Columbia

New research suggests that cannabis use by people in care for opioid addiction might improve their treatment outcomes and reduce their risk of being exposed to fentanyl in the contaminated unregulated drug supply.

   
Released: 21-Dec-2020 11:55 AM EST
Recommendations for the Overdose Epidemic in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

A new report from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health offers recommendations aimed at federal, state, and local policymakers to address the opioid epidemic during the pandemic.

Released: 17-Dec-2020 12:50 PM EST
Pandemic has severely disrupted sleep, increasing stress and medication use
University of Ottawa

The COVID-19 pandemic is seriously affecting the sleep habits of half of those surveyed in a new study from The Royal and the University of Ottawa, leading to further stress and anxiety plus further dependence on sleep medication.

   
10-Dec-2020 10:00 AM EST
Experts to Discuss the Essential Efforts of Clinical Laboratories to Fight the Opioid Epidemic at the 2020 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting
Association for Diagnostic and Laboratory Medicine (ADLM (formerly AACC))

The opioid epidemic has only gotten worse since the advent of COVID-19, with some areas in the U.S. reporting a 50% increase in drug overdoses due to the pandemic. With no end in sight to this public health crisis, scientific sessions during the virtual 2020 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo will highlight the integral role of clinical laboratories in efforts to manage it, as well as the latest drug tests needed to do so.

Released: 7-Dec-2020 2:10 PM EST
Novel Anti-Craving Mechanism Discovered to Treat Cocaine Relapse
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Cocaine continues to be one of the most commonly abused illicit drugs in the United States. Pre-clinical literature suggests that targeting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors (GLP-1Rs) in the brain may represent a novel approach to treating cocaine use disorder. Specifically, GLP-1R agonists, which are FDA-approved for treating diabetes and obesity, have been shown to reduce voluntary drug taking and seeking in preclinical models of cocaine used disorder. However, the exact neural circuits and cell types that mediate the suppressive effects of GLP-1R agonists on cocaine-seeking behavior are mostly unknown.

Released: 3-Dec-2020 12:55 PM EST
After CDC guidance, little change in opioid prescriptions to those at risk of misuse
Saint Louis University

Research from Saint Louis University finds that among patients at risk for opioid misuse, the odds of receiving a schedule II opioid for non-cancer pain were similar to those not at risk, despite new prescribing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Released: 23-Nov-2020 11:50 AM EST
Nurse practitioners play key role in opioid addiction treatment in very rural areas
Washington State University

Giving nurse practitioners the authority to prescribe buprenorphine has brought that gold standard treatment for opioid addiction to people who might not have had access to it before, according to a new study led by Tracy Klein, PhD, associate professor at the Washington State University College of Nursing in Vancouver.

Released: 17-Nov-2020 8:45 AM EST
Cannabis strength soars over past half century -- new study
University of Bath

New research shows that over the past 50 years street cannabis across the world has become substantially stronger carrying an increased risk of harm.

Released: 10-Nov-2020 3:05 PM EST
Understanding Impacts of COVID-19 on Substance Use Disorder and Treatment
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

A Rutgers expert discusses the many impacts of COVID-19 on people with substance use disorder and what treatment providers, policymakers and researchers are doing to help.

Released: 26-Oct-2020 8:55 AM EDT
Real-time opioid overdose tracking system shows rise in the time of COVID-19
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

An epidemic that was already raging before COVID-19 arrived has flared up in recent months, according to a real-time tracking system in Michigan. It shows a 15 percent rise in suspected opioid overdose deaths since March, compared with the same time last year, and a 29% rise in first responders’ use of the rescue drug naloxone.

Released: 20-Oct-2020 2:25 PM EDT
From pills to powder: 1 in 3 high school seniors who misused prescription opioids later used heroin
University of Michigan

Nearly one-third of students who reported misusing prescription opioids as high school seniors between 1997 and 2000, but did not have a history of medical use, later used heroin by age 35, according to a University of Michigan study.

28-Sep-2020 11:50 AM EDT
Significant decline in prescription opioid abuse seen among Americans at last
American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)

Almost 20 years into the opioid epidemic, there finally is evidence of significant and continual decreases in the abuse of these risky pain medications, according to an analysis of national data being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2020 annual meeting.

Released: 21-Sep-2020 5:05 AM EDT
College Students with Disabilities at Greater Risk for Substance Abuse
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

College students with physical and cognitive disabilities use illicit drugs more, and have a higher prevalence of drug use disorder, than their non-disabled peers, according to a Rutgers study.

Released: 17-Sep-2020 10:45 AM EDT
Preparing Future Clinicians to Intervene in Opioid Crisis
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Opioid use disorder and overdose have reached unprecedented levels around the world. In the United States, remediation of pain is one of the most common reasons American adults seek healthcare. Therefore, it is vital that clinicians practicing in diverse roles and settings have a clinical understanding of pain and substance use disorders as well as knowledge about public health and opioid policy interventions.



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