The intersection of substance use with broader public health concerns.
Public Health
Drugs, Brains and Behavior: The Science of Addiction
Since the 1930s, the response to drug addiction has moved from one that focuses on the need to punish users to another that recognises the importance of prevention and treatment approaches. In other words, thanks to scientific advances...
Socioeconomic Position and Adolescent Drinking: What's the Link?
To what extent does socioeconomic position affect adolescent drinking behaviours? A new article recently published in the academic journal BMC Public Health addresses this question in the context of six different European countries among...
Why Are Many American Adults Misusing Prescription Painkillers?
Prescription painkillers are second only to marijuana as the United States drug of choice. Around 91.8 million Americans aged 18 and above used prescription painkillers in 2014, according to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health...
Preventing Marijuana Use among Youth and Young Adults
Preventing Marijuana Use among Youth and Young Adults is a new release from the US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It provides the latest facts about marijuana use in the United States and includes information...
Effect of Marijuana Use on Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Mortality
Abstract Background Reports associate marijuana use with cardiovascular emergencies. Studies relating marijuana use to cardiovascular mortality are scarce. Recent advance towards marijuana use legalization emphasizes the importance of...
Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention: A Potential Role in Cancer Prevention for Young Adults
Excessive or risky alcohol use is a preventable cause of significant morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and worldwide. Alcohol use is a common preventable cancer risk factor among young adults; it is associated with increased risk of...
The Effects of Cannabis among Adults with Chronic Pain and an Overview of General Harms
Abstract Background: Cannabis is increasingly available for the treatment of chronic pain, yet its efficacy remains uncertain. Purpose: To review the benefits of plant-based cannabis preparations for treating chronic pain in adults and the...
Evidence Lacking on Benefits of Cannabis for Treating Chronic Pain or PTSD
By Kelly Young Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD Evidence is limited on the benefits of cannabis use for treating chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to two reviews in the Annals of...
EMCDDA Insights: Prevention of Substance Abuse
Prevention of Substance Abuse by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is a report that draws on evidence-based research to assess substance use prevention interventions, in terms of their ability to...
Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood
The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood (2017) is a special volume that supplements the organisation’s Preventing Drug Abuse Among Children and Adolescents, released in 2003...
