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…

Recreational drugs detected in more than 1 in 10 cardiac intensive care patients

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Recreational drug use may be a factor in a significant proportion of admissions to cardiac intensive care, with various substances detected in 1 in 10 such…

Study supports government initiative to give free vapes to disadvantaged people who want to quit smoking

Credit: CC0 Public Domain A government scheme to give out free vapes to smokers appeals to most but not all, according to new research from the University of East Anglia…

Taking kratom claimed her son’s life. now she and others are warning of the dangers

J.D. Butler was planning a future with his girlfriend at his favorite New York City restaurant when that future came to a sudden, crushing halt. “They were planning on when…

E-cigarettes may be better than nicotine patches to help pregnant women stop smoking, reduce the risk of low birthweight

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Smoking in pregnancy can harm developing babies, especially their growth. Current guidelines recommend that pregnant smokers who find quitting difficult should be provided with nicotine replacements…

Oxycodone prescriptions after delivery not linked to longer-term opioid use compared to codeine

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Postpartum prescriptions for oxycodone were not associated with increased risk of longer-term opioid use compared to codeine prescriptions, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian…

Glutamate Receptor Activation: A Potential Cure for Opioid Addiction?

Summary: Scientists discovered a potential new weapon in the battle against opioid use disorder (OUD), a condition that affects over two million people in the U.S. alone. The drug, ADX106772,…