Research News Roundup: September 4, 2025

Journal: International Journal of Drug Policy, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo. 2025.104948

Authors: Ranjani K. Paradise, Simeon D. Kimmel, Alykhan Nurani, Jeff Desmarais, Shannon O’Malley, Alexander Y. Walley, … Angela R. Bazzi

Abstract:

Background: Nonfatal overdose is a risk factor for future fatal overdose and represents a critical touchpoint for engaging survivors and making connections to treatment and harm reduction resources. The aim of this study was to understand survivors’ experiences and preferences in the immediate post-overdose period, and to elucidate survivors’ and professionals’ perspectives on improving care provision at this interaction point.

Methods: In 2020-2021, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with opioid overdose survivors (n = 59) and professionals (n = 28) who respond to overdoses or interact with survivors in Boston, MA. When reviewing coded data early in the analytical process, we identified a strong emphasis on the importance of immediate post-overdose experiences in influencing engagement in care. Subsequent in-depth analysis then identified common experiences and factors related to service engagement in this acute time period.

Results: Among 59 overdose survivors, most identified as Black or Latinx (70 %) due to purposive sampling. Most were also unhoused (75 %) and reported at least three past-year overdoses (69 %). Many participants described intense physical pain and/or emotional distress immediately following overdose reversal, which reduced their desire and ability to engage with service providers. Several experienced disrespect and stigma from overdose responders, which negatively impacted their experience. However, some participants expressed wanting to be offered services immediately post-overdose, stating that providers should always “extend the branch”. Professionals reinforced survivors’ perspectives, explaining how trauma and stigma reduce survivors’ willingness to accept service information and referrals; they also highlighted systemic challenges in standard overdose response processes that impede effective engagement.

Conclusion: To better engage survivors, overdose response processes should prioritize survivors’ physical and emotional comfort and seek to build trust by utilizing person-centered, trauma-informed, and non-stigmatizing approaches.

To read the full text of the article, please visit the publisher’s website.

Journal: Journal of Substance Use & Addiction Treatment, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.josat.2025.209778

Authors: Vivian L. Wang, Meghan Derenoncourt, Christopher Brokus, Jasmine Stevens, Joseph E. Carpenter, Alaina Steck, … Sarah Kattakuzhy

Abstract:

Background: Given the rising rates of morbidity and mortality related to Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), hospitalization may be an opportune time to engage individuals with OUD in treatment and prevention. The ‘Continuum of Care in Hospitalized Patients with Opioid Use Disorder and Infectious Complications of Injection Drug Use’ (‘CHOICE’) protocol was a multi-site study developed to understand barriers and facilitators of care for patients with infectious complications of OUD.

Methods: The study conducted semi-structured interviews with twenty-four stakeholders (community providers, harm reductionists, and other professionals) from CHOICE sites involved in the continuum of OUD care: Georgia, Maryland, Alabama, and the District of Columbia. The data was coded using qualitative management software (NVivo 11). Subsequent thematic analysis involved a hybrid deductive and inductive approach.

Findings: We identified seven key themes, organized through the lens of a Social-Ecologic (SE) Model, an analytical framework that groups themes by level of influence at the individual, institutional, community, and societal/national levels. Major findings from each theme included (1) stigmatization of patients with OUD, and their providers; (2) lack of standardization around evidence-based OUD practices; (3) limited patient and provider resources; (4) poor inter- and intra-institutional communication; (5) the importance of co-localized care and harm reduction; (6) impact of the institutional and pandemic environment; and (7) the restrictive nature of national policies.

Conclusions: These common findings across geographically and policy-diverse clinical sites point to a need for targeted policy, training, and clinical interventions at each SE level, and for standards in OUD care to be developed and prioritized.

To read the full text of the article, please visit the publisher’s website.

Journal: Hypertension, 2025, doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.125.25005

Authors: Jamie Corroon, Ryan Bradley, Igor Grant, Michael P. Bancks, Julian Jakob, Reto Auer, … Matthew A. Allison

Abstract:

Background: Observational evidence investigating associations between cannabis use and hypertension is inconsistent.

Methods: The association between cumulative lifetime cannabis use (cannabis-years) and incident hypertension was examined over 35 years in a sample of CARDIA study (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) participants free of hypertension at baseline. Marginal structural models with inverse probability weighting were used to adjust for potential time-dependent confounding and censoring. Hazard ratios and 95% CIs were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Sensitivity analyses included modeling cannabis-years using restricted cubic splines, stratifying the primary analyses by sex, race, alcohol and cigarette smoking, and evaluating an additional exposure measure (days of use in the past month).

Results: The analytic sample consisted of 4328 participants at baseline and 64.9% (n=2810) at year 35. Median cannabis-years increased minimally and remained low across visits: 0.0 (Q1-Q3, 0.0-0.3) at baseline and 0.2 (Q1-Q3, 0.0-0.7) by year 35. There were 2478 cases of incident hypertension over 88 292 person-years (28.1 cases per 1000 person-years). Cannabis-years were not significantly associated with incident hypertension (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.99 [95% CI, 0.97-1.00]; P=0.18). The association remained unchanged in sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions: In a cohort of Black and White young adults with 35 years of follow-up, no association was found between cumulative lifetime use of cannabis and risk of incident hypertension. This finding was robust to restricted cubic spline analyses, analyses stratified by sex, race, alcohol use and tobacco cigarette smoking, and an additional measure of exposure (days of use in the past month).

To read the full text of the article, please visit the publisher’s website.

Journal: Substance Use & Misuse, 2025, doi: 10.1080/10826084.2025 .2537138

Authors: Nadra E. Lisha, Manali Vora, Benjamin W. Chaffee, & Jing Cheng

Abstract:

Background: The rising use of e-cigarettes, particularly dual use with cigarettes, necessitates understanding usage patterns and identifying participant and product characteristics that influence behaviors to guide tobacco regulatory decisions.

Methods: Analysis included adults (≥18 years) from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort. Participants were classified into six e-cigarette/cigarette category at each of waves 1-5 (2013-2019). Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to identify distinct trajectories of cigarette and e-cigarette use patterns over time in Mplus. Random forest was used to examine the importance of baseline participant and product characteristics in predicting the distinct groups of use trajectories. Within each cigarette class, odds ratios and 95% CIs of the top 15 predictors of e-cigarette use group were calculated in multinomial logistic regression controlling for age, race/ethnicity, and education.

Results: Four cigarette-use trajectories were identified: “Cigarette never smokers” (31.3%), “Past experimental cigarette smokers” (23.8%), “Current experimental cigarette smokers” (18.8%), and “Current cigarette smokers” (26.0%). E-cigarette-use trajectories included “Never users” (53.6%), “Past progressors” (32.3%), and “Current progressors” (14.3%). Random forest highlighted common and unique predictors across cigarette-use groups. For example, perceptions of e-cigarette harm relative to cigarettes strongly predicted e-cigarette progression among current smokers, whereas younger age and higher social media use were more relevant among never and past smokers.

Conclusions: Distinct cigarette and e-cigarette use trajectories were identified, with predictors varying by cigarette-use group. These findings underscore the importance of targeted regulatory strategies based on subgroup-specific behaviors and characteristics.

To read the full text of the article, please visit the publisher’s website.