Contaminants in cannabis and hemp flowers create potential for health risks

Mature cannabis inflorescences exhibit a large floral structure that is composed of female reproductive organs (pistils), inflorescence leaves, and the bracts surrounding them. Photo from Frontiers in Microbiology, courtesy of…

Mapping the Amygdala Leads to New Hope For Cocaine Addiction

Summary: Researchers crafted a detailed atlas of the amygdala, revealing new insights into emotional responses and potential treatments for cocaine addiction. A cell-by-cell study of the amygdala, a brain structure…

Patients who quit smoking after percutaneous coronary intervention do as well as non-smokers, unless they smoked heavily

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Patients who quit smoking after undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for narrowed arteries have similar outcomes as non-smokers during four years of follow-up after the procedure,…

Rising Temperatures Show Climate’s Hidden Impact on Substance Use

Summary: A new study reveals a direct correlation between elevated temperatures and increased hospital visits due to alcohol and substance disorders. Not only does this shed light on unforeseen implications…

Elevated temperatures and climate change may contribute to rising drug and alcohol disorders

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Hospital visits from alcohol- and substance-related disorders are driven by elevated temperatures and could be further affected by rising temperatures due to climate change, according to…

Prescribing just a few opioid tablets to patients discharged from emergency departments can ease pain but prevent misuse

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Half of patients discharged from the emergency department need only five tablets or fewer of morphine 5mg or an equivalent opioid pain killer, according to new…

Overdose deaths from fentanyl laced stimulants have risen 50-fold since 2010

A simplified schema of the four waves of the US overdose mortality crisis. Waves 1 and 2 include deaths involving commonly prescribed opioids, and heroin, respectively, but excluding fentanyl co-involved…

Tobacco and Cannabis Combo Ups Anxiety and Depression Risk

Summary: A new study indicates a link between the co-use of tobacco and cannabis and heightened rates of anxiety and depression. Analyzing data from the COVID-19 Citizens Health Study, researchers…

Alcohol makes you more likely to approach attractive people but doesn’t make others seem better looking: Study

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain It’s “liquid courage,” not necessarily “beer goggles”: New research indicates that consuming alcohol makes you more likely to approach people you already find attractive but does…

Bringing addiction care ‘inside the house of medicine’

International per-person consumption of prescription opioids (2010–12). This period coincides with the peak of opioid prescribing in the USA and Canada. Credit: The Lancet (2022). DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02252-2 As civilization ground…