We curate a digest of the latest news in our field for advocates, policymakers, community coalitions and all who work toward shaping policies and practices to effectively prevent substance use and treat addiction.
The practice of mindfulness may be helpful for people trying to reduce their dose of the opioid medication buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone), according to Zev Schuman-Olivier, MD, Executive Director, Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, Cambridge Health Alliance.
The Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act would eliminate a requirement that Medicaid cover basic addiction and mental health services in states that expanded the government healthcare program, The Washington Post reports.
Teens who use synthetic marijuana are more likely to be injured or engage in violent behaviors than their peers who only use marijuana, a new study concludes.
Nearly 30 percent of fatal opioid overdoses also involve benzodiazepines, such as Xanax, Valium or Klonopin, researchers at Stanford University have found.
In areas hard hit by the opioid crisis, police officers have increasingly taken on the role of drug counselors and medical workers, The Washington Post reports.
Prescription bottle with surgical instruments on sterile field.
A new study finds that providing surgeons with guidelines on prescribing painkillers for specific types of surgeries resulted in a 53 percent drop in opioid prescribing, The Washington Post reports.
A new poll finds 57 percent of adults say they have been prescribed an opioid painkiller at some point, compared with 54 percent in 2014 and 50 percent in 2011.
Legal experts say a memo Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent to federal prosecutors this week suggests he plans to make changes to Obama Administration policies that sought less serious charges in some drug cases.
Addiction treatment is most successful when it lasts more than 30 days, according to researchers at the University of Southern California. They found after one year, the treatment success rate was 55 percent for those who underwent a 30-day treatment program, and 84 percent for those in treatment programs that lasted longer.
There are early signs that cocaine use and availability is on the rise in the United States for the first time in almost a decade, according to a new State Department report on the global narcotics trade. The increase may be due to an expansion in Colombia’s coca crop, according to The Washington Post.
A growing body of research points to the relationship between alcohol and suicide. Taking steps to reduce the availability of alcohol may help to reduce the number of suicides, says Raul Caetano, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist at the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in Oakland, California.
Drug packages, raw opium, drug dozens and weapons seized by police
Some health experts are warning that repealing the Affordable Care Act could slash treatment for addiction and mental health, the Associated Press reports.
Aetna is the latest health insurer to announce it will no longer require preauthorization for opioid addiction treatment, Kaiser Health News reports. The change takes effect this month and applies to commercial plans.
In 2015, more than 12 million Americans reported misusing a prescription opioid in the past year. All of us – health care professionals, parents, educators, community leaders, law enforcement and policy makers – have a role to play in reversing the nation’s opioid epidemic and saving lives. The American Medical Association and the Partnership together are committed to ensuring that physicians and families have the education and resources they need. We urge you to join us in our efforts to reverse this national epidemic.
A hospital in New Haven, Connecticut treated 12 people who overdosed last June when they used fentanyl that had been sold as cocaine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three of the people died.
The price of Evzio, a device that delivers the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, has soared from $690 in 2014 to $4,500 today for a twin-pack, Scientific American reports.
A new method for using e-cigarettes called “dripping” is becoming popular among teens. A report published in Pediatrics finds one-quarter of U.S. teens who use e-cigarettes have experimented with dripping.
Many doctors, even those who specialize in addiction treatment, do not have a good understanding of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and its benefits for people struggling to give up drinking, says Marc Galanter, M.D., Founding Director of the Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse at NYU Langone Medical Center.
Repealing the Affordable Care Act would roll back any progress made against combating the nation’s opioid crisis, according to Michael Botticelli, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Obama.
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