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The rapidly changing composition of the global street drug supply and Its effects on high-risk groups for COVID-19

Publication Date

7 December 2020

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Public health

Partner Organisation

Colombo Plan

The majority of street drugs, in some cases more than ninety-five percent, now have multiple toxic adulterants. This research review brings to the attention of public health officials, addiction medicine specialists, treatment officials, therapists, and the general public the alarming increase of dangerous toxic adulterants being added to street drugs and their potentially lethal synergistic effects.

Best Practices for Integrating Medical Students Into Telehealth Visits

Format

Scientific article

Themes

COVID-19 related Intervention

Telehealth

Abstract

Telehealth has become an increasingly important part of health care delivery, with a dramatic rise in telehealth visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth visits will continue to be a part of care delivery after the...

Virtual Twelve Step Meeting Attendance During the COVID-19 Period A Study of Members of Narcotics Anonymous

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Addiction

COVID-19 related Intervention

Telehealth

Treatment

Abstract

Objectives:

Face-to-face meetings are key components of Twelve Step (TS) fellowships’ support of members’ abstinence. Home confinement during COVID-19 made this less feasible. Our objective was to ascertain whether a transition...

A US national randomized study to guide how best to reduce stigma when describing drug‐related impairment in practice and policy

Publication Date

16 November 2020

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Addiction

Mental Health

Practice

Public health

Treatment

Drug‐related impairment is persistently stigmatized delaying and preventing treatment engagement. To reduce stigma, various medical terms (e.g. ‘chronically relapsing brain disease’, ‘disorder’) have been promoted in diagnostic systems and among national health agencies, yet some argue that over‐medicalization of drug‐related impairment lowers prognostic optimism and reduces personal agency.

Providing addiction services during a pandemic: Lessons learned from COVID-19

Publication Date

2 October 2020

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Telehealth

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing measures have made in-person mutual help groups inaccessible to many individuals struggling with substance use disorders (SUDs). In this paper, we share our experience training volunteers to facilitate SMART Recovery groups and SMARTline

What Are the Respiratory Effects of E-cigarettes?

Publication Date

30 September 2019

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Public health

Paper is open source. Abstract copied from paper:

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are alternative, non-combustible tobacco products that generate an inhalable aerosol containing nicotine, flavors, propylene glycol, and vegetable...

Adolescent Cigarettes and E-cigarettes Use

Publication Date

14 June 2019

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Epidemiology and Etiology

Public health

E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that people use to inhale an aerosol, which typically contains nicotine flavourings and other chemicals. They have rapidly become the most favoured form of tobacco among youth in the United States. ...

Alcohol’s Secondhand Harms: Prevalence and Risk Factors

Publication Date

30 June 2019

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Epidemiology and Etiology

Public health

Harmful drinking can have severe physical and psychological consequences for the person consuming alcohol. However, the negative impact does not just stop at the individual level.

Researchers from the US have examined data from two...

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Offspring Alcohol Use

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Epidemiology and Etiology

Prevention

Public health

Despite increasing awareness of the negative consequences of alcohol, rates of consumption among young adults remain high.

Longitudinal studies provide insight into the risk and protective factors in a young persons life that might...

Tobacco Use Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Young Adults

Publication Date

7 June 2019

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Epidemiology and Etiology

Evaluation

Practice

Prevention

Treatment

Women

It is recognised that smoking and use of tobacco products among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) young adults is higher compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers.

Although it is believed that within the LGBTQ...

Combined Effects of Marijuana and Nicotine on Memory Performance and Hippocampal Volume

Publication Date

14 July 2015

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Public health

Highlights

Examined drug effects of tobacco, marijuana and combined marijuana + nicotine use.
Hippocampal volumes were smaller in marijuana users (with or without nicotine).
Abnormal brain-behavior relationships in combined marijuana +...

The Link between the Marketing of Opioid Products with Mortality from Opioid-Related Overdoses

Publication Date

18 January 2019

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Addiction

Evaluation

Practice

Prescription opioids are involved in 40% of all deaths from opioid overdose in the United States and are often the first opioids encountered by individuals with opioid use disorder.

Efficacy of Monthly Buprenorphine Injections for Opioid Use Disorders

Publication Date

19 February 2019

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Addiction

Practice

Public health

Partner Organisation

NIDA

Opioid use disorder is a chronic, relapsing disease and a global health burden. Treatment for OUD tends to involve a combination of medication and behavioural intervention. It is recognised that buprenorphine can alleviate opioid withdrawal...

Evaluation of State-Mandated Reporting of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome — Six States, 2013–2017

Publication Date

11 January 2019

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Public health

Summary

What is already known about this topic?

In 2014, in the United States, an infant with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) was born every 15 minutes. Historically, NAS surveillance has depended on hospital discharge data, frequently...

Opioid Prescribing Rates in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Counties among Primary Care Providers Using an Electronic Health Record System

Publication Date

18 January 2019

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Public health

Summary

What is already known about this topic?

Opioid prescribing rates vary by county urbanization level and are declining overall.

What is added by this report?

Analysis of patient opioid prescription data from a national electronic...

Frequency of Use Among Middle and High School Student Tobacco Product Users

Publication Date

14 December 2018

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Public health

Summary

What is already known about this topic?

Most tobacco product use begins during adolescence or young adulthood, increasing the risk for lifelong nicotine addiction and adverse health effects.

What is added by this report?

During...

Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Among Nonsmokers

Publication Date

7 December 2018

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Public health

Summary

What is already known about this topic?

Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke can cause sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory infections, ear infections, and asthma attacks in infants and children, and coronary heart disease...

Exposure to Secondhand Smoke and Arrhythmogenic Cardiac Alternans in a Mouse Model

Publication Date

4 December 2018

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Public health

Abstract

Background:

Epidemiological evidence suggests that a majority of deaths attributed to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure are cardiovascular related. However, to our knowledge, the impact of SHS on cardiac electrophysiology, Ca2+Ca2+...

The Relationships Between Stimulant Use and Gambling Among Adolescents

Publication Date

2 June 2018

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Addiction

Epidemiology and Etiology

Mental Health

Prevention

Public health

Treatment

Adolescence is a period of time where young people are more likely to seek independence and novel experiences, experiment with their expression and identity and have less regard for risk. Given the natural surge in sensation-seeking...

Evaluation of Amphetamine-Related Hospitalizations and Associated Clinical Outcomes and Costs in the United States

Publication Date

19 October 2018

Format

Scientific article

Themes

Public health

Key Points

Question: What are the current trends in frequency and costs of amphetamine-related hospitalizations in the United States?

Findings: In this cross-sectional study of approximately 1.3 million amphetamine-related US...