Made from concentrate? A national web survey assessing dab use in the United States
Literature regarding the impact of cannabis use has primarily focused on recreational users who typically choose products with high levels of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, responsible for the desired “high” or mood-altering effects. Traditionally, most individuals use flower (“bud”) in joint, blunt, bong, spliff, or bowl preparations. Data suggests a significant increase in potency (THC concentration) of flower products, rising from 4% to 12% between 1995 and 2014 (ElSohly et al., 2016). (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 26, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Kelly A. Sagar, Ashley M. Lambros, Mary Kathryn Dahlgren, Rosemary T. Smith, Staci A. Gruber Tags: Full length article Source Type: research
Characterizing peer roles in an overdose crisis: preferences for peer workers in overdose response programs in emergency shelters
Many settings in North America are experiencing overdose epidemics due to the proliferation of opioids and other drugs adulterated with fentanyl and related analogs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017; National Drug Early Warning System Coordinating Center, 2016). According to provisional data from the United States, opioid-related overdose contributed to over 67,000 deaths from September 2016 to August 2017, a 13.3% increase from the previous year (Ahmad et al., 2018). In Canada, the overdose crisis has been particularly severe in the province of British Columbia (BC), leading to the declaration of a public ...
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 26, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Geoff Bardwell, Thomas Kerr, Jade Boyd, Ryan McNeil Tags: Short communication Source Type: research
Automatic visual-spatial perspective taking in alcohol-dependence: a study with happy emotional faces
Alcohol-dependence (AD) is associated with a wide range of physiological and neurological problems (B ühler and Mann, 2011), having a particular impact on cognitive abilities (Stavro et al., 2013). The neurotoxic effects of alcohol in AD trigger a range of transient and long-term behavioral deficits, leading to cognitive and social issues, which may perpetuate excessive alcohol drinking (Oscar-Berm an and Marinkovic, 2003). (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 26, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Sharon Cox, Pierre Maurage, Richard O ’Connor, Chris Chandler, Kevin Riggs Tags: Full length article Source Type: research
Characterizing JUUL-related posts on Twitter
The use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) or “vaping” continues to grow in popularity in the United States (U.S.) and elsewhere (Singh et al., 2016; Schoenborn and Gindi, 2015). While long-term health consequences are not yet known, there is evidence of some risk from vaping, e.g., exposure to potentially toxic substances (National Academi es of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018). As vaping rapidly becomes more prevalent, social media (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) data can be harnessed to quickly capture and describe the context in which individuals reflect on e-cigarette products and discuss the so...
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 23, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Jon-Patrick Allem, Likhit Dharmpuri, Jennifer B. Unger, Tess Boley Cruz Tags: Full length article Source Type: research
Marijuana eCHECKUPTO GO: effects of a personalized feedback plus protective behavioral strategies intervention for heavy marijuana-using college students
Marijuana use is common among U.S. college students with 22% percent reporting past-month use and daily use at its highest level in three decades (Schulenberg et al., 2017). Marijuana use is associated with several psychosocial and academic problems during college. College student marijuana users report more emotional problems including anxiety and depression, greater health service utilization for physical and mental health problems, and lower subjective well-being than non-users (Arria et al., 2016; Keith et al., 2015). (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 23, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Nathaniel R. Riggs, Bradley T. Conner, Jamie E. Parnes, Mark A. Prince, Audrey M. Shillington, Melissa W. George Tags: Full length article Source Type: research
Normal glutathione levels in autopsied brain of chronic users of heroin and of cocaine
It is generally assumed that chronic exposure of some recreational drugs of abuse (e.g., stimulants, heroin) likely “injuries” the human brain to some extent and that neurotoxic injury might be caused at least in part by oxidative stress (Sharma et al., 2007; Cunha-Oliveira et al., 2008; Yamamoto et al., 2010; Sajja et al., 2016). To date, evidence supporting this possibility is largely driven by results of e xperimental animal investigations. For example, animal (rodent) studies show that high doses of the dopaminergic stimulant methamphetamine can produce increased brain levels of malondialdehyde or malondialdehyde-l...
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 23, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Junchao Tong, Paul S Fitzmaurice, Anna Moszczynska, Gausiha Rathitharan, Lee-Cyn Ang, Jeffrey H Meyer, Romina Mizrahi, Isabelle Boileau, Yoshiaki Furukawa, Tina McCluskey, Napapon Sailasuta, Stephen J. Kish Tags: Full length article Source Type: research
Do naloxone access laws increase outpatient naloxone prescriptions? Evidence from Medicaid
Opioid overdose in the United States is a public health crisis. More than 42,000 Americans died from opioid overdose in 2016, which is more than a 100% increase from 2010 (National Center for Health Statistics, 2017). More Americans now die every year from drug overdose than were lost during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic despite the availability of much more effective treatments (Lopez, 2017). (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 22, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Alex K. Gertner, Marisa Elena Domino, Corey S. Davis Tags: Full length article Source Type: research
Transitions in the use of multiple substances from adolescence to young adulthood
The use of multiple substances during adolescence is a consistent predictor of substance use problems and adverse health and social outcomes in adulthood (Moss et al., 2014; Nelson et al., 2015). Research suggests that consumption of a single type of substance is rare, and many adolescents use multiple substances, referred to as polysubstance use (Moss et al., 2014; Tomczyk et al., 2016a). The heterogeneity in the types of substances used during adolescence has been documented in several cross-sectional studies (for review see Tomczyk et al., 2016a). (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 21, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Gabriel J. Merrin, Kara Thompson, Bonnie J. Leadbeater Tags: Full length article Source Type: research
Disturbances of postural sway components in cannabis users
Cannabis is one of the most commonly used illicit drugs, with 22.2 million people in the United States reporting that they had used it in the past month during the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (SAMHSA, 2015). Acutely, administration of cannabis or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis, broadly impairs cognitive function. Chronic cannabis use has been associated with cognitive impairment in diverse domains including memory and attention, executive control, and decision-making (Lundqvist 2005; Sofuoglu et al., 2010; Thoma et al., 2011). (Source: D...
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 21, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Amanda R. Bolbecker, Deborah Apthorp, Ashley Schnakenberg Martin, Behdad Tahayori, Leah Moravec, Karen L. Gomez, Brian F O ’Donnell, Sharlene D. Newman, William P. Hetrick Tags: Full length article Source Type: research
Individualized texting for adherence building (iTAB) for methamphetamine users living with HIV: A pilot randomized clinical trial
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the standard of care for persons living with HIV infection (PLWH). Suboptimal ART adherence can lead to disease progression and development of drug-resistant strains of HIV (Flandre et al., 2002; Nachega et al., 2011). Persons with substance use disorders demonstrate poorer adherence to ART compared to those without substance use disorders (Hinkin et al., 2004; Meade et al., 2011; Westergaard et al., 2012). Methamphetamine (METH) use is particularly concerning in the context of HIV care, given its high prevalence among PLWH, particularly in San Diego (Wagner, 2014), and its association with ...
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 21, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: David J. Moore, Elizabeth C. Pasipanodya, Anya Umlauf, Alexandra S. Rooney, Ben Gouaux, Colin A. Depp, J. Hampton Atkinson, Jessica L. Montoya Tags: Full length article Source Type: research
Transitions in the use of multiple substances from adolescence to young adulthood*
The use of multiple substances during adolescence is a consistent predictor of substance use problems and adverse health and social outcomes in adulthood (Moss et al., 2014; Nelson et al., 2015). Research suggests that consumption of a single type of substance is rare, and many adolescents use multiple substances, referred to as polysubstance use (Moss et al., 2014; Tomczyk et al., 2016a). The heterogeneity in the types of substances used during adolescence has been documented in several cross-sectional studies (for review see Tomczyk et al., 2016a). (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 21, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Gabriel J. Merrin, Kara Thompson, Bonnie J. Leadbeater Tags: Full length article Source Type: research
Gender moderates the association between distress tolerance and alcohol use among individuals with opioid use disorder
Opioid use is a significant public health problem in the United States (Brady et al., 2015; Gostin et al., 2017). During 2016, 18 million Americans misused prescription drugs, and 2.7 million met criteria for opioid use disorder (OUD; Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2016; Hughes et al., 2016). A meta-analysis of US clinical trials found that 38% to 45% of patients seeking treatment for OUD met criteria for an alcohol use disorder (Hartzler et al., 2010; Hartzler et al., 2011). (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 21, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Amanda K. Gilmore, Jennifer L. Jones, Angela D. Moreland, Christine K. Hahn, Kathleen T. Brady, Sudie E. Back Source Type: research
Prescription drug use, misuse and related substance use disorder symptoms vary by educational status and attainment in U.S. adolescents and young adults
Prescription drug misuse (PDM) has been described as an epidemic (e.g., Kanouse and Compton, 2015; McClure, 2015), as rates of PDM-related overdose, emergency department and treatment utilization rise (DAWN, 2013; SAMHSA, 2014). PDM may be especially problematic in adolescents (12-17 years) and young adults (18-25 years), as they consistently have elevated past-year PDM prevalence rates from the most commonly misused medication classes: opioids, stimulants, sedatives and tranquilizers (CBHSQ, 2016b). (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 21, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Ty S. Schepis, Christian J. Teter, Sean Esteban McCabe Tags: Short communication Source Type: research
Non-suicidal self-injury in Chinese heroin-dependent patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment: Prevalence and associated factors
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) refers to the deliberate, self-inflicted destruction or alteration of body tissue resulting in immediate damage without a conscious suicidal intent and for purposes not culturally sanctioned (Cipriano et al., 2017). NSSI involves various forms, with self-cutting, head-banging, scratching, and hitting being the four most common types (Cipriano et al., 2017; Skegg, 2005). Although NSSI does not generally cause fatal outcomes, accumulating evidence has shown that NSSI is significantly associated with functional impairment, poor quality of life, premature death, and increased risk of attempted s...
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 19, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Bao-Liang Zhong, Yan-Min Xu, Jun-Hong Zhu, Xiu-Jun Liu Source Type: research
The association between lifetime polytobacco use and intention to quit among HIV-positive cigarette smokers
With the advent of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, the effects of HIV pose a much smaller threat to mortality (Hessol et al., 2000; Lloyd-Smith et al., 2006). Scholars now attribute the majority of deaths among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) to health risk behaviors, such as smoking (Helleberg et al., 2015). Among those adhering to ARV, the negative impact of smoking upon life expectancy is two times greater than HIV-related factors (Reddy et al., 2016). This is of major concern as nearly 54% of PLWH are reported to smoke cigarettes in the United States compared to 19% in the general population (Park et al., 2016; Mdodo ...
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - June 19, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Micah J. Savin, Summer G. Frank-Pearce, Kim Pulvers, Damon J. Vidrine Source Type: research
