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The US Department of Justice is expected to recommend that marijuana be rescheduled as a Schedule III controlled substance, a classification shared by prescription drugs such as ketamine and Tylenol with codeine. The standard rulemaking process is lengthy, is subject to a public comment period, and could take months to complete. However, rescheduling marijuana will not solve that federal-state conflict, the Congressional Research Service noted in a January 16 brief. States with medical marijuana programs do currently have some federal protections in place via appropriations legislation that restricts the Justice Department from interfering in those programs. The FDA’s scientific and medical evaluation of marijuana did not address products containing plant-derived cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, General Merrick Garland, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, US Department of Justice, Associated Press, White, Office of Management, US Health, Human Services, Food and Drug, Justice Department, Staff, National Institute on Drug, Delta, National Conference of State Legislatures, Congressional Research Service, CRS Locations: Colorado

☆ A significant number of US 12th-graders report using delta-8 products, study says, and it may be a public health concern
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Delta-8 THC, or delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, is one of more than 100 chemical compounds found in the cannabis sativa plant. That’s at least one or two students in every average-sized high school class who may be using delta-8. Most of the participants were about 17 years old, so the study may not fully represent how many younger teens are using delta-8. There has been a general concern that the number of students using delta-8 has been growing, according to an editorial published Tuesday alongside this study. Calls to America’s Poison Centers about delta-8 products spiked 82% from 2021 to 2022, the group said in a recent report, with 3,358 exposures managed in 2022.

Persons: ”, Adam Leventhal, “ Dr, Nora Volkow, ” Leventhal, Jennifer Whitehill, Kelly Dunn, Renee Johnson, Harlow et, Scientists don’t, Dr, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN —, USC Institute for Addiction Science, Midwest, National Institute on Drug, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Johns Hopkins University, National Cannabis Industry Association, Scientists, Research, Get CNN, CNN Health, Centers

☆ What Zyn pouches do to your brain, body, and heart
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Kim Schewitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Zyn nicotine pouches are popping up everywhere. Someone using a 3 mg Zyn pouch will absorb 1.59 mg of nicotine, or 3.51 mg from a 6 mg pouch, a spokesperson for Zyn told Business Insider in an email. Middle and high-school-aged kids are using nicotine pouchesZyn says its products are only for consumers 21 and older who already use nicotine. However, unlike nicotine replacement therapies such as gum, patches, and mints, nicotine pouches like Zyn have not yet been proven to be a safe way to quit smoking. A 2023 study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that around 1.5% of middle and high school students reported using nicotine pouches in the last 30 days.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Bellini, Dr, Jonathan Foulds, Brittney Keller, Hamilto, Panagis, Alok Patel Organizations: Business, Penn State University College of Medicine, New York Times, Zyn, National Institute on Drug, Centers for Disease Control, CDC, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Stanford Children’s Hospital, ABC

☆ Seizures of Psychedelic Mushrooms Rise in U.S. as Demand Grows
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Ernesto Londoño | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Seizures of psychedelic mushrooms across the nation by law enforcement officials have increased significantly in recent years as attitudes regarding their use have grown more permissive, according to a government-funded study released Tuesday. Researchers found that law enforcement officials confiscated 844 kilos of mushrooms containing psilocybin in 2022, an increase of 273 percent from 2017. Psilocybin is the psychoactive component in the fungi commonly known as magic mushrooms. The marketplace for magic mushrooms, which are illegal under federal law, has boomed in recent years as several clinical studies have shown that they may be effective as therapies to treat depression and other serious conditions. But many medical professionals say they worry that the hype surrounding psychedelics has moved faster than the science.

Organizations: National Institute on Drug

"When you see the news of a Wall Street employee or any highly paid professional dying this way, it obviously wakes you up." Wall Street is all about relationships, which often means spending big money to show people a good time. "That's been the Wall Street playbook for many, many years, and I don't think it has changed." On the other side of the coin is Wall Street, where a history of drug use can haunt working professionals for years. AdvertisementLaird thinks Wall Street firms could learn a thing or two from other industries when it comes to their response to addiction.

Persons: Rudy Giuliani, It's, Joe, I'm, Anna Lembke, Streeters, biohacking, Wall, couldn't, Rudolph Giuliani, Getty John Battaglia, Spear, Goldman Sachs, " Battaglia, Goldman, Adderall, Jaime Blaustein, Blaustein, Sylvia Brafman, Zyn, who's, JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE Denise Shull, hasn't, Shull, —, Artur Widak, they've, Ray Donovan, AGNES BUN, Battaglia, Ross Peet, Betty, Lembke, Leonardo DiCaprio, Paramount Pictures Trey Laird, Laird, Trey, That's, Peet Organizations: Business, New York Times, Wall, psychedelics, Stanford, Addiction, Mental Health Services Administration, Bettmann, Leeds, Kellogg, Sylvia Brafman Mental Health, BI, Citadel, Getty, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Credit Suisse, Traders, Bank of America, New, Betty Ford Foundation, Street, Paramount Pictures, Needham & Co, Treatment, Industry Locations: Manhattan, New York, Brussels, Silicon Valley, California, Arlington , Virginia, New York City, Bank, New Canaan , Connecticut

☆ From test strips to hotlines, how to protect against fentanyl and treat a drug addiction
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

BI spoke to 13 financial professionals about drugs on Wall Street, from cocaine to psychedelics. The conversations come amid a rise in substance abuse and drug overdose deaths. But frequent drug use can lead to addiction, while any drug can lead to death if it is laced with deadly fentanyl. Meanwhile, drug overdose deaths were recently tallied at over 100,000, double where they were in 2015. And overdose deaths can be avoided with tools like fentanyl testing strips.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute on Drug

☆ Using marijuana during pregnancy may heighten risk for baby
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The vast majority of marijuana use was during the first three months of pregnancy, the study found, and it was predominantly recreational rather than medical. A 2020 study found that women who used weed during pregnancy were 1.5 times more likely to have a child with autism. However, mothers using marijuana during pregnancy were 2.6 times more likely to give birth to a baby with a low birth weight, which can contribute to difficulties in eating, gaining weight and fighting infection. Indeed, the study also found that infants born to moms using marijuana were 2.5 times more likely to need to be admitted for intensive care. A warning for pregnant peopleAny woman using marijuana who discovers she is pregnant should immediately discuss the issue with her doctors, experts say.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Maryam Sorkhou, “, ” Beth Bailey Organizations: CNN, CNN — Infants, University of Toronto, National Institute on Drug, US Centers for Disease Control, Central Michigan University’s College of Medicine, American College of Obstetricians Locations: United States, Canada, Mount Pleasant

☆ Marijuana use raises risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke, studies say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Older adults who don’t smoke tobacco but do use marijuana were at higher risk of both heart attack and stroke when hospitalized, while people who use marijuana daily were 34% more likely to develop heart failure, according to two new non-published studies presented Monday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia. “You need to treat this just like you would any other risk factor (for heart disease and stroke), and honestly understand the risks that you were taking,” he said. Heart failure doesn’t mean the heart has stopped working, but that the heart isn’t pumping oxygenated blood as well as it should, according to the AHA. At the end of the study, researchers found people who reported daily marijuana use had a 34% increased risk of developing heart failure, compared to those who reported never using marijuana. Also called atherosclerosis, CAD is the most common type of heart disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Persons: ” Robert Page II, ”, Westend61, Avilash, ” Page, it’s, Yakubu Bene, Alhasan Organizations: CNN, American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, Heart, Cannabis, Cardiovascular Health, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Nazareth Hospital, AHA, US Centers for Disease Control, Health Locations: Philadelphia, Aurora , Colorado, Baltimore

☆ Why it can be so hard to stay sober
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

To understand why the problem is so widespread, people must recognize the complexities around not just getting sober — but staying sober, Kelly said. Those predispositions can combine with a history of trauma or developmental experiences to make someone much more likely to develop an addiction, Kelly added. For some people, mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety occur alongside but independent of their addiction, Kelly said. “It does not mean that this individual is never going to be able to achieve recovery,” Dick said. “The devious nature of drugs means that when an individual has been using heavily, it also changes their brain and that makes it harder to maintain recovery,” Dick said.

Persons: Matthew Perry, “, “ I’ve, ” Perry, ‘ Will, ’ ”, Danielle Dick, Dr, John F, Kelly, ”, ‘, ’, ” Dick, Dick, ” Kelly, —, they’ve, Dick said, you’ve, Don’t, Nancy Diazgranados, relapses, ” Diazgranados, Matt Organizations: CNN, Hollywood, Rutgers Addiction Research, Harvard Medical, Hospital Recovery Research, US Centers for Disease Control, Addiction, CDC, National Institute on Drug, National Institute, Alcohol Locations: Piscataway , New Jersey, Massachusetts, United States

☆ Philadelphia's mayor says his fellow Democrats just voted for more people to die from drug overdoses. Experts say he's right.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

People should not, generally, inject into their bodies a substance they bought with cash from a stranger on the street. And many will not resort to best practices, like using a clean needle, and contract diseases that require lifelong treatment. In 2019, the former president's Department of Justice sued to stop a Philadelphia-based nonprofit, Safehouse, from opening what would have been the country's first safe injection site, citing a federal law originally aimed at crack houses. AdvertisementAdvertisementBesides, Philadelphia, a city battling not just drug addiction but poverty and gun violence, is not about to open drug treatment resorts. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is one of the few public officials to explicitly endorse supervised injection sites.

Persons: Philadelphians, Scott Burris, Isaiah Thomas, Thomas, Mike Driscoll, Donald Trump, Biden, Nora Volkow, Ronda, Goldfein, —, Jim Kenney, Cherelle Parker, Kenney Organizations: Service, Center of Public Health, Research, Temple University, Philadelphia Inquirer, president's Department of Justice, National Institute on Drug, New York Times, of Pennsylvania, Walmart, Philadelphia, Democratic Locations: Philadelphia, Wall, Silicon, Kensington, Vancouver, Canada, Philadelphia's, New York City, Ronda Goldfein, Europe

☆ Ozempic, Wegovy may curb drinking, smoking and other addictive behaviors – here's what we know
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Jaap Arriens | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesHeather Le Biller shed 9 pounds within the first week of taking Novo Nordisk 's blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic – and then even more as she continued treatment. That means it could take years before the Food and Drug Administration and other regulators worldwide approve drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy as addiction treatments. Jerlhag and her colleagues at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden have studied the effect of GLP-1s on addictive behaviors for more than a decade. "The mechanism in the brain that regulates overeating is important in regulating addictive behaviors as well," Leggio told CNBC. Still, NIDA's Leggio advises against using GLP-1s off-label to reduce addictive behaviors, "simply because there's not enough evidence in humans that they work."

Persons: Jaap Arriens, Heather Le Biller, Ozempic –, Le Biller, they're, Angela Fitch, Brandon Bell, Dr, Lorenzo Leggio, semaglutide, –, Eli Lilly, pharmacologist, Jerlhag, George Frey, NIDA's, Leggio, Steven Batash, Batash, NIDA's Leggio Organizations: Nurphoto, Novo Nordisk, CNBC, Wegovy, Obesity Medicine Association, and Drug Administration, Pharma, National Institute on Drug, University of Gothenburg, Company, Reuters, Brigade, Getty Locations: Riga, Latvia, France, Ozempic, Novo, U.S, Italian, Austin , Texas, Sweden, Provo , Utah, Queens , New York

☆ Nearly 1 in 10 adults in the US has lost a family member to drug overdose, new KFF poll finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

More than a quarter of adults surveyed say they or a member of their family has been addicted to prescription painkillers or other illegal opioids, and nearly 1 in 10 adults has had a family member die of a drug overdose, the poll found. Nearly 110,000 people died from a drug overdose in 2022, federal data shows – more than any other calendar year. A significant share of people in the US have had close personal experience with the negative effects of addiction, KFF found. The concerns around opioid addiction are particularly prevalent among rural Americans, who were also more likely to say they’ve already experienced the effects. Findings from the KFF survey are based on responses from representative sample of more than 1,300 adults who were interviewed in mid-July.

Persons: KFF, Dr, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, KFF, US Centers for Disease Control, CNN Health, National Institute on Drug, National Center for Injury Prevention Locations: United States

☆ Overuse of marijuana linked to surgery complications and death, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Clinical overuse of marijuana is linked to a variety of complications after major elective surgery, including blood clots, stroke, breathing difficulties, kidney issues and even death, a new study found. Compared with people who were not overly dependent or addicted to marijuana, those with cannabis use disorder were more likely to suffer complications from those surgeries. The most significant associations were for blockages of coronary arteries, stroke, injury to the kidneys, blood clots, breathing complications, infection and in-hospital death, the study found. People with cannabis use disorder also stayed in the hospital longer and had higher hospital bills than people without the disorder. “In the context of increasing cannabis use rates, our findings support preoperative screening for cannabis use disorder,” the authors wrote.

Persons: Hannes P, Albert Organizations: CNN, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, National Institute on Drug Abuse Locations: Houston

☆ A former fentanyl user describes the first time she took the illicit drug laced with xylazine as 'the scariest experience of my life'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Kelly Burch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Opioids contributed to 80,411 overdose deaths in 2021, up from 68,630 deaths in 2020, data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows. Xylazine is a sedative that can lead to respiratory and cardiac issuesOpioids, like fentanyl, contributed to more than 80,000 overdose deaths in 2021. Mixing xylazine with fentanyl is particularly problematicMixing xylazine and fentanyl can amplify xylazine's sedative effect and the associated health risks. ReutersThe opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan, also known as naloxone, will not reverse the impact of xylazine, since the drug is not an opioid, according to the DEA. That's because opioids account for nearly 75% of all drug overdose deaths in the US.

☆ Recreational marijuana use: CNN medical analyst urges caution
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Katia Hetter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Using marijuana can cause impaired thinking and interfere with someone’s ability to learn, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The trend toward legalizing marijuana must be accompanied by public education of the health risks, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen said. To be clear, there are many reasons to support policy changes of decriminalizing marijuana, including to rectify the decades-long injustices of disproportionately incarcerating minority individuals for marijuana possession. As many as 3 in 10 people who use marijuana have marijuana use disorder, according to the CDC. If an adult is using marijuana once in a while, and not while driving, it’s probably not going to have lasting consequences.

☆ Drug overdose deaths among teenagers surged during the pandemic driven by illicit fentanyl
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Drug overdose deaths among adolescents surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, driven overwhelmingly by illicit fentanyl, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monthly drug overdose deaths nearly tripled among adolescents ages 10 to 19 during the first two years of the pandemic. But illegally manufactured fentanyl, often consumed as a pill, has become an increasingly common cause of overdose deaths. There was evidence that 25% of adolescent overdose deaths may have involved counterfeit pills that often resemble OxyContin or Xanax but frequently include fentanyl as well. Teens should also be educated about the potential presence of illicit fentanyl in pills that may resemble prescription drugs.

The number of pregnant women and new mothers dying from drug overdoses grew dramatically as the pandemic took hold, reaching a record high in 2020, a new study finds. "It goes to an ever higher level of stigma among pregnant women." She does not work with pregnant women or those with substance use disorder, but did crunch the numbers for the new research. "Overdose deaths in general have increased, and pregnant women aren't immune to the effects of addiction," Wright said. A Biden administration report, released in October, called for broader access to opioid treatment medication among pregnant women and de-stigmatize addiction treatment during pregnancy.

☆ Nikki Hiltz: How this professional runner is making their sport more inclusive
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“I was open about my sexuality at that point, but not my gender identity,” Hiltz tells CNN Sport. After coming out as trans and non-binary, Hiltz continues to compete in the women’s division. “You know, I have no business putting on an in-person race,” Hiltz jokes. Spencer Cox’s veto of a bill that bans transgender women from competing on women’s and girls’ sports teams. Since coming out as trans and non-binary last year, Hiltz has had conversations with race directors and announcers about making running more inclusive.

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