We curate a digest of the latest news in our field for advocates, policymakers, community coalitions and all who work toward shaping policies and practices to effectively prevent substance use and treat addiction.
A new study suggests the opioid painkiller hydromorphone may help treat people with heroin addiction.
One question about drinking frequency in the past year can help doctors identify which teens are at risk for alcohol problems, a new study concludes. Teens ages 12 to 17 who report having at least one drink on three or more days in the past year are most at risk for alcohol problems.
Europeans spend more than $27 billion annually on illicit drugs, according to a new report by the European Union. Marijuana accounts $10.6 billion, while heroin accounts for $7.7 billion, Reuters reports.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, April 1- Thursday, April 7, 2016.
Several local governments have started to include synthetic cannabinoids in their criminal justice drug monitoring programs in an effort to deter their use, after it became clear many people were using the drugs because they knew tests wouldn’t detect them, according to the Director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR).
Teens with severe drug and alcohol problems often have a low regard for others, a new study suggests. They have higher rates of driving under the influence and having unprotected sex with a history of sexually transmitted disease, The Huffington Post reports.
A new study suggests addiction may be linked with the high use of social media in people with depression. People who check social media most frequently throughout the week were 2.7 times more likely to be depressed than those who check it least often, the study found.
The Drug Enforcement Administration said this week it will decide in the first half of 2016 whether marijuana should be reclassified under federal law. The agency gave no indication what its decision will be, according to The Huffington Post.
The St. Louis area has been flooded with a cheap new form of potent heroin, leading to a wave of overdoses, addiction and crime, The New York Times reports.
Addiction, which was a major issue leading up to the presidential primary in New Hampshire, is once again a key topic in the election, The Wall Street Journal reports.
When the prescription opioid painkiller Opana ER was reformulated in 2012 to make it more difficult to crush and snort, the change led many people to abuse the drug by injection. The resulting increase in shared needles led to a spike in cases of HIV, according to NPR.
A small number of consultants are advising families on treatment options for addiction, The New York Times reports. Their services can be very expensive. One service charges about $10,000 a year, while another charges $5,000 to $10,000 to set up an initial plan of care, and an additional $5,000 a month for close monitoring for six months.
A group in Seattle says it wants to open a site where people can use drugs under medical supervision, according to The Seattle Times. Advocates say such sites can reduce overdose deaths, HIV and hepatitis C transmissions.
A growing number of family members of people struggling with addiction are finding help through online support groups, The Wall Street Journal reports. These groups offer flexibility and real-time help, participants say.
A new study finds monthly injections of the anti-addiction medication extended-release naltrexone (Vivitrol) can significantly decrease relapse rates among people addicted to opioids. The study included 153 adults who formerly had been incarcerated and had a history of opioid dependence.
A hospital emergency room in New Jersey has started a program that treats most patients without opioids before considering using them. In the first two months, 75 percent of the 300 patients have gone through the program did not need opioids, according to the Associated Press.
President Obama on Wednesday commuted the sentences of 61 federal prisoners incarcerated for drug offenses. He has now commuted the sentences of 248 prisoners, more than the total commuted by the last six presidents combined.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, March 25- Thursday, March 31, 2016.
Changes in health care insurance with the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has left many parents wondering how to get their grown children covered and into treatment.
President Obama said Tuesday more attention is being paid to addiction as a health issue now that it is seen as an increasing threat to white communities, The Washington Post reports.
State legislatures should require doctors to use state-run databases that track patients’ history of opioid and sedative prescriptions, according to a report by the advocacy group Shatterproof. Earlier this month, the White House sent letters to governors recommending they require doctors to check the databases before prescribing these drugs, the Associated Press reports.
A new poll finds 43 percent of Americans say they have a relative or close friend with a substance use issue, and 62 percent say at least one type of substance use is a serious problem in their community, the Associated Press reports.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School are testing a wearable device that may help track drug addiction relapses.
President Obama will announce his administration’s plans to improve access to drug treatment at the 2016 National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit on Tuesday, USA Today reports.
The Food and Drug Administration is urging makers of generic drugs to redesign opioid painkillers to make them abuse-deterrent, according to HealthDay.
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