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INTRODUCTION Motivations for using electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) include quitting or reducing cigarette smoking, flavor, and addiction. This study examines whether the primary reason for continued ENDS usage changes over time, and its association with device and liquid characteristics. METHODS Data are from a longitudinal cohort study and include 526 US adults (=21 years) using ENDS frequently (=5 days/week) as self-reported, and uploaded photos of their most used ENDS devices and liquids and self-reported primary reason for continued ENDS usage in wave 2 (December 2020-April 2021) and wave 5 (February-April 2023). Device-liquid grouping was defined by device (disposable/disposable pod/refillable pod/tank, adjustable/no adjustable settings) and liquid (salt/freebase) characteristics. A device was classified as having adjustable settings if it allowed users to modify the power, coil, or airflow. Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regressions and McNemar tests. RESULTS From wave 2 to 5, the primary reason for continued ENDS usage significantly changed, with more participants reporting addiction (29.2% vs 34.6%, p<0.001); and significantly more participants used disposable devices (salt, no adjustable settings) (7.9% vs 25.2%, p<0.001). Compared to those using tanks (freebase, adjustable settings), participants using devices with nicotine salt liquids were more likely to report addiction (AOR>2; 95% CI: 1.12-8.19); and participants using disposable devices (salt, no adjustable settings) were less likely to report quitting/reducing smoking as the primary ENDS use reason after controlling for smoking status and sociodemographic characteristics (AOR<0.6; 95% CI: 0.14-0.995). CONCLUSIONS Over a 2.5-year period, the proportion of participants continuing to use ENDS at least 5 days/week because of addiction grew, and participants' motivations varied by device-liquid grouping. Restrictions on nicotine salts may disproportionately impact those using ENDS because of addiction; and regulations targeting tanks with freebase liquids may disproportionately impact those using ENDS for smoking cessation/reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes my experiences with coming to understand my own relationship with alcohol dependency and addiction. Disability studies has offered me a lens and guide through which I have critically interrogated discourses about addiction, while examining the ways dominant and counter-narratives have impacted my own recovery process. In this paper, I review historical information about the emergence of culturally accepted recovery ideologies in the United States that have led to a dominant disease model perspective. Then, I explain the disability studies-informed theoretical underpinnings of this paper, which include discourse theory and disability studies as applied to alcohol addiction. Using disability studies and autoethnography as a guide, the body of the paper uses examples from my own journals to elucidate salient themes that emerged about my experiences in early recovery. The paper uncovers the ways I came to understand my own identity related to addiction, how I navigated feelings of stigma and shame, the ways I found recovery spaces that embraced empowering frameworks aligned to a disability studies ethos, and how I discovered community and pride through this experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Endogenous cannabinoid and opioid systems have multi-level cross-talks. • Exposure to exogenous opioids dysregulates the endocannabinoid system. • Alterations of the endocannabinoid system are region-specific in the brain. Rates of opioid-related deaths and overdoses in the United States are at record-high levels. Thus, novel neurobiological targets for the treatment of OUD are greatly needed. Given the close interaction between the endogenous opioid system and the endocannabinoid system (ECS), targeting the ECS may have therapeutic potential in OUD. The various components of the ECS, including cannabinoid receptors, their lipid-derived endogenous ligands (endocannabinoids [eCBs]), and the related enzymes, present potential targets for developing new medications in OUD treatment. The purpose of this paper is to review the clinical and preclinical literature on the dysregulation of the ECS after exposure to opioids. We review the evidence of ECS dysregulation across various study types, exposure protocols, and measurement protocols and summarize the evidence for dysregulation of ECS components at specific brain regions. Preclinical research has shown that opioids disrupt various ECS components that are region-specific. However, the results in the literature are highly heterogenous and sometimes contradictory, possibly due to variety of different methods used. Further research is needed before a confident conclusion could be made on how exposure to opioids can affect ECS components in various brain regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and awareness of pharmacy students toward marijuana use. Methods: Pharmacy students were asked to complete a survey that assess students' knowledge, attitudes, and awareness toward marijuana use. This study also compared students' awareness about the harmful effects of marijuana in comparing with alcohol and smoking tobacco. Participants were asked about the possibilities of marijuana-induced cancer and addiction. Results: Twenty-three percent of pharmacy students reported having used marijuana at some point in their lives. In comparison with tobacco and alcohol, most of the students agreed that tobacco (49%) and alcohol (42%) are more harmful than marijuana (P <.0001). More than sixty percent of students considered marijuana as an addictive substance (P <.02). A 45% of students opposed the possibility of marijuana-induced cancer. Thirty-six percent of the students agreed that marijuana should be legalized for both medical and recreational use with a similar percentage of the students (30 – 32%) believed that marijuana should be legalized for medical use only. Conclusion: With the prevalence of marijuana use and discrepancy among pharmacy students' responses regarding knowledge, attitudes, and awareness pharmacy schools need to adopt educational activities about the benefits and risks of marijuana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article situates the emergence of sensationalized news reports of "infant addicts" and the concurrently evolving study of neonatal drug withdrawal within the context of the expansion of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in the United States. It details how, in the early 1970s, concerns about pregnant narcotic addicts and their infants became part of the politically charged debate over methadone maintenance. The popular press amplified the apprehensions of a vocal group of pediatricians who saw in infants' withdrawal an indication of methadone's inherent harmfulness and potential toxicity. Increased access to MMT and its presumed normalizing effects on reproductive functions augmented these concerns. The ensuing controversy led clinical researchers to define, measure, and systematically study "neonatal abstinence syndrome," whereas the emerging media trope of the infant drug addict effectively undermined the claims made by MMT's proponents about the drug's therapeutic utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2017, Jane Goodall, the well-known primatologist, wrote a letter to the United States Food and Drug Administration criticising the use of animals to test brain-based theories of addiction. She reasoned that we already know about addiction by observing humans. Several scientists countered that research with humans cannot answer important questions about understanding, preventing, and treating addiction. This commentary draws on epidemiology, psychology, psychodynamic models, learning theories and existentialism. It highlights effective prevention and treatment approaches that are not based on brain models of addiction. Jane Goodall's letter, has, perhaps unwittingly, provided a focal point for reconsidering what kind of research is required to further our understanding of addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Side effects of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) such as weight gain contribute to their stigma. Substantial evidence suggests that women have a more severe side effect profile to MOUD than men, and concerns about weight gain during treatment are prevalent. However, the few studies reporting sex differences in weight gain during treatment show conflicting results and are restricted to methadone. In addition, little is known about possible sex differences in weight gain to buprenorphine, which is the most commonly prescribed MOUD in the United States.Methods: To address these issues, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on the few studies reporting longitudinal data on sex differences in body mass index (BMI) gain during methadone treatment (Study 1). In a separate study, we also re-analyzed data from trial CTN-0030 of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trial Network (NIDA CTN), which involved a 12-week buprenorphine treatment regimen (Study 2; n = 360; 209 Male, 151 Female).Results: For Study 1, across all papers reporting longitudinal data (k = 4, n = 362 OUD patients), there were BMI increases that ranged from 2.2 to 5.4 BMI after at least one year of methadone treatment, but there were no significant sex differences in BMI increases (Standardized Mean Difference, Female > Male = 0.352, SE =0.270; 95 % CI = [-0.18 0.88]; p = .193). Study 2 showed no significant differences in weight before and after 12 weeks of buprenorphine treatment nor did it show sex differences in weight change with treatment (β = 2.34, p = .511).Conclusion: These analyses corroborate evidence of weight gain with methadone treatment but did not observe a sex-based disparity in weight gain with methadone or buprenorphine treatment for OUD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the 1988 U.S. Surgeon General's Report, entitled "Nicotine Addiction" which presented the evidence that tobacco is addictive and showed that nicotine lies at the heart of this addiction. Topics include evidence emerging from studies on tobacco use and nicotine products, evidence emerging from electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), and findings of the report on tobacco control.

As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the globe, many veterans with substance use issues have faced the closure of treatment facilities, mandates to shelter in place, and social distancing measures. To better understand their pandemic experiences, substance use changes, and functioning, a survey was nationally administered to a sample of United States veterans reporting substance use issues during the pandemic. The purpose of this cross-sectional online survey for veterans (N = 409) was to report on COVID-19 experiences, safety behaviors, and infection experiences while also investigating the relationship among addictive behaviors, mental and physical health, and COVID-19 impact. Measures also assessed specific substance use concerns, pandemic-related loneliness, and functioning. Though few veterans reported personally receiving a confirmed COVID-19 medical diagnosis (10.5%), the impact of pandemic stressors was evident, with a majority reporting anxiety related to contracting COVID-19 (61.4%) or fear of a family member or close friend contracting COVID-19 (58.7%). Participants reported increased use of alcohol (45.3%), sedatives (36.6%), inhalants (35.7%), tobacco (35.0%), and cannabis (34.9%), attributed specifically to the pandemic. Regression analyses revealed that even when controlling for the contribution of problematic substance use issues, negative pandemic impacts and self-reported COVID-19 related loneliness were related to more impaired physical and mental health functioning during the pandemic. Findings from this sample of veterans with addiction issues add to the growing literature suggesting unique and adverse effects of COVID-19 stressors on functioning while also revealing specific pandemic impacts for this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While negative attitudes within the social work community toward clients struggling with addiction may not be ubiquitous, there is evidence that such attitudes remain problematic. Interestingly, there is very little research available concerning factors that may be involved with these adverse attitudes. While extant research suggests social workers demonstrate low empathy toward clients with a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), there is little empirical exploration of the relationship between dispositional empathy and subsequent attitudes. Similarly, a practitioner's spirituality may also influence their views of SUD clients, yet there is little evidence investigating this relationship. This study explored the relationship between empathy, spirituality, and attitudes toward clients with SUDs. Results demonstrated that both empathy and spirituality have some predictive potential and that some dimensions of empathy and spirituality interact. The results also showed that different dimensions were important for social work students and social work practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]