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Does Plain Packaging Cause a Reduction in the Prevalence of Smoking?
Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death worldwide. A recently published Cochraine Review has found that standardised, or plain, tobacco packaging could make tobacco products less appealing and, in turn, lead to a reduction in...
Now Available: European Facility Survey Questionnaire (EFSQ) Package
The European Facility Survey Questionnaire (EFSQ) can be used for data collection in any country by those looking to investigate facilities that provide interventions for drug users.
Its aim is to collect information on facilities in...
Aggression Linked to Substance Use
New Research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry has found that people with intermittent explosive disorder (IED) – a condition with a significant genetic component characterised by regular outbursts of aggression, whether...
'Virado': A New Method of Crack Consumption in Brazil
Crack emerged in the late 1980s in Brazil. This emergence was a critical moment for public health; the growing AIDS epidemic led intravenous cocaine users to migrate toward crack use to avoid the use of injection drugs. At the same time...
Higher Taxes Needed to Lower Smoking Rates in South Asia
New research published in The British Medical Journal supports the need to increase taxes on tobacco products in South Asia, suggesting that doing so could reduce consumption by at least 1/3 and, in turn, avoid around 35 - 45 million...
What Is There to Know About Psychosocial Interventions in Drug Treatment?
Psychosocial interventions are psychological or social interventions used to tackle issues related to substance abuse and behavioural addictions. They can be employed to identify and treat problems, as well as to assist with user...
New Publication: EMCDDA’s Prevention of Addictive Behaviours
An updated version of the publication Prevention of Substance Abuse by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is now available in English. Global in scope, it provides an up-to-date review of prevention science...
Global Smoking Rates on Decline Thanks to Demand-Reduction Measures
New research published in The Lancet Public Health suggests that global smoking rates have decreased by 2.5% following the introduction of the global tobacco control treaty. The treaty obligates the 180 countries committed to it to...
Do Surgical Procedures Increase the Risk of Opioid Dependence?
A new study has found that having surgery may expose patients to a higher risk of developing long-term opioid dependence. According to the investigation, around 6% of people who had not taken opioids prior to their operation but were...
New Resources from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has released a number of new resources.
These are aimed at those working within the criminal justice system and other environments where people in recovery from drug addiction are ready to...
Can We ‘Switch Off’ Our Need to Drink Alcohol?
New research by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) may lead to the development of personalised treatments for alcohol dependence. The study evaluated how people’s responses in the brain differ to various therapeutic...
Marijuana Linked to Cardiovascular Problems
Marijuana use may increase the risk of stroke and heart failure.
This was concluded to be the case even after accounting for demographic and lifestyle risk factors, as well as other health conditions.
The new findings on the potential...
Cocaine Elicits Autophagic Cytotoxicity via a Nitric Oxide-GAPDH Signaling Cascade
Abstract
Cocaine exerts its behavioral stimulant effects by facilitating synaptic actions of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. It is also neurotoxic and broadly cytotoxic, leading to overdose deaths. We demonstrate that...
New Evidence in Mice That Cocaine Makes Brain Cells Cannibalize Themselves
Working with mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have contributed significant new evidence to support the idea that high doses of cocaine kill brain cells by triggering overactive autophagy, a process in which cells literally digest their...
Should Opioid Dependent Patients Receive Immediate Access to Medical Treatment?
New research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found through a comparison of treatment approaches for opioid dependence that, in an emergency setting, combining the medication buprenorphine with on-going care is...
Characteristics of Fentanyl Overdose — Massachusetts, 2014–2016
Summary
What is already known about this topic?
Fentanyl has a growing presence in the illicit drug market and is involved in an increasing proportion of opioid overdose deaths.
What is added by this report?
Approximately two...
Does Smoking Cigarettes Increase the Chance of Relapse into Illegal Substance Use?
Among people recovering from substance use disorders, those who smoke are more likely to relapse three years later compared to those who do not, according to new findings published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Treatment for...
Drugs on the Brain: Substance Use and Neurotransmission
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has published an extended overview detailing the impact of certain drugs on brain functioning, as well as the most common experimental methods used in related research.
Neuroscientists...
Are Youngsters in Foster Care More Likely to Use Substances?
New research from Cardiff University has found:
- Weekly smoking rates among 11 - 16-year-olds in foster care are almost 8 times higher when compared to those reported by youngsters of the same age who live with both their parents.
- Weekl...
Tweet2Quit: The Social Media Intervention Helping People to Quit Smoking
The social media quit-smoking intervention – Tweet2Quit – sends automated daily communications to private self-help groups, encouraging high-quality peer-to-peer discussions online. It is very low cost and has a potential global reach.
A...