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☆ US overdoses have fallen sharply in recent months, a hopeful shift in trends
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But the latest provisional data shows that overdose deaths made a sharp turn at the end of last year and have been trending down for months. There were about 101,000 overdose deaths in the year ending in April, CDC estimates. Overdose deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are down 20% year-over-year, CDC data shows. These drugs are now involved in about two-thirds of all fatal overdoses, down from more than three-quarters of all overdose deaths a year ago. “We’ve been riding a better than 20-year peak in terms of the continuous increases of drug overdoses,” Pamplin said.

Persons: ”, Sarah Wakeman, Brigham, “, Nabarun Dasgupta, Dasgupta, it’s, ” Wakeman, ” John Pamplin, “ We’ve, ” Pamplin, ” Dasgupta, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Nora Volkow Organizations: CNN, Federal, US Centers for Disease Control, Mass, University of North, CDC, United States, Columbia University, CNN Health, Black, National Institute on Drug, National Institutes of Health Locations: United States, University of North Carolina, United

☆ Popular weight-loss and diabetes medications show promise for curbing smoking, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But experts emphasize that much more research is needed before using the medications off-label for smoking cessation. In a study published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers tracked the medical records of more than 200,000 people who started medications to treat type 2 diabetes, including nearly 6,000 people using semaglutide medications such as Ozempic. Over the course of a year, people who started using semaglutide were significantly less likely to have medical encounters for tobacco use disorders, prescriptions for medications for smoking cessation or counseling for smoking cessation than those who started other diabetes medications such as insulin and metformin. “A signal like this one cannot be ignored, particularly because of how consequential it could be if, in fact, we can have now a new medication for treating smoking cessation,” she said. But fewer than 1 in 10 adult cigarette smokers succeed in quitting each year, according to the new study, and options for smoking cessation treatment haven’t changed much in decades.

Persons: Disha, ”, Nora Volkow, ” Volkow, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Volkow Organizations: CNN, Internal Medicine, Endeavor Health, National Institute on Drug, Get CNN, CNN Health, US Centers for Disease Control, American Cancer Society Locations: Chicago, United States

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ Middle-Aged Adults Are Binge Drinking and Using Marijuana at Record Levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Matt Richtel | More About Matt Richtel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Different generations use different drugs and at different levels. The research has been supported since 1975 by the National Institutes of Drug Abuse, or NIDA, which is a part of the N.I.H. NIDA typically draws attention for its study of behavior and drug use patterns among young people in middle and high school. But the research also follows people throughout their lives, looking at the use of alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes and other substances. “It’s important to track this so that public health professionals and communities can be prepared to respond,” Dr. Patrick said.

Persons: ”, Megan Patrick, Dr, Patrick, “, Nora Volkow, Volkow Organizations: University of Michigan, National Institutes of Drug, NIDA

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.

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