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As Scott E. Hadland, M.D., senior author of a dramatic paper published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine puts it, drug use among adolescents is not getting more common — it's at its lowest in almost 50 years. But it's getting more deadly, due to fentanyl. In "The Overdose Crisis among U.S. Adolescents," by Hadland and lead author Joseph Friedman, Ph.D., the problem is laid out clearly: After guns and car crashes, overdose (OD) deaths are now the third leading cause of death among adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been many calls for federal changes to address the opioid epidemic, but one from Beau Kilmer, senior policy researcher and director of the Drug Policy Research Center at the RAND Corporation, released last week is a particularly interesting distillation that doesn't omit pros and cons for each strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 2017 – 2022, law enforcement seizures across the United States of mushrooms containing psilocybin increased dramatically, according to a new study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The number of law enforcement seizures increased from 402 seizures in 2017 to 1,396 in 2022. In addition, the total weight of psilocybin mushrooms seized by law enforcement increased from 226 kg (498 lbs.) seized in 2017 compared with 844 kg (1,861 lbs.) in 2022. This analysis, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, was led by researchers at New York University (NYU) Langone Health in New York City, and the University of Florida, Gainesville. The data used for the analysis were collected through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, a grant program aimed at reducing drug trafficking and misuse administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Though law enforcement seizures do not necessarily reflect prevalence of use, they represent an indicator of the availability of illicit drugs. "We are in the middle of a rapidly evolving cultural, media, and legal landscape when it comes to psychedelics, and we need data to help shape informed and appropriate public health strategies," said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D., in announcing the research publication last week. "Moving forward, we must continue to track data on the availability of psychedelics, patterns in use, and associated health effects to guide efforts in promoting accurate education and reducing potential harms among people who do plan to use psychedelic drugs." Adverse effects of psilocybin mushrooms, such as "bad trips," are marked by "distorted thinking, perceptual changes, putting oneself in physical danger, and intense feelings of fear, anxiety, and confusion," according to NIDA. "People who take psychedelic drugs like psilocybin may also experience short‐term side effects such as raised blood pressure and heart rate, agitation, confusion, vomiting, or nausea, which may be severe and require medical attention." Joseph J. Palamar, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, co‐investigator on the NIDA‐funded National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS), and lead author on the paper, said "Research studies suggesting its effectiveness in treating mental health issues and extensive positive media coverage may lead some people to seek 'shrooms' outside of medical contexts. People who use psilocybin outside of medical supervision need to be educated about risks associated with use." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary manner by which states have been using Medicaid to expand access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment may actually be making it more difficult for individuals to receive the services most appropriate to their needs, a newly released paper suggests. Moreover, this preferred strategy in many cases violates the law, authors with the National Health Law Program contend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article talks about the concept of civil commitment for substance use disorders (SUDs), discussing a research paper released by Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. Topics discussed include the views of some people that addiction is a disease and its treatment should not be coerced; a paper by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) on it; and the benefits of involuntary commitment laws for substance use disorders.

The article reports on the release of a white paper by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the U.S. The paper, entitled "Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention: Evidence and Implications," focuses on knowledge and emphasizes the importance of continued research.

The article reports on the release of three papers by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the U.S. on evidence-based approaches to treating individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. These papers, which include the "Services Integration," "Systems Integration" and "The Epidemiology of Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Disorders," were developed by SAMHSA'S Co-Occurring Center for Excellence.

The article reports that the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released three overview papers detailing approaches to treating individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. The overview papers were titled "Services Integration," "Systems Integration," and "The Epidemiology of Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Disorders."

Examines the link between learning disabilities and addiction in the United States. Identification of learning disabilities in children; Prevention of alcohol and drug addiction; Impact of learning disabilities on the behavior of school-age children; Need for treatment professionals to tailor addiction treatments.

The article reports on the release of a new white paper by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) focusing on the current state of knowledge about the interrelationship between substance abuse and suicide in the U.S. The white paper provides an overview of the advances made over the past decade in the areas of substance abuse prevention and treatment. It also explores suicide prevention within the public health context of behavioral health promotion.

Reports on the flaws found by researchers in the U.S. who conducted a review of several double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trials of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Role of the therapy in preventing expectancy bias in clinical research; Impact of the limited number of papers analyzed on the study; Role of few NRT trials in assessing for blindness.

The article focuses on the paper entitled "Coverage for All: Inclusion of Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders in State Healthcare Reform Initiatives," from the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare in the U.S. The report discusses the state universal coverage initiatives and the mental health and substance use care benefits that organizations aim to offer. Key findings of the survey conducted by the organizations are discussed.

The article focuses on the announcements made by U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) regarding substance abuse. SAMHSA released three papers on evidence-based methods in treating individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. The agency also announces its first online course, a medication in treating alcohol use disorders.