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Heroin is a very addictive chemical called diacetylmorphine. Heroin is a modified form of morphine, a highly abundant opium derived from the seedpods of the poppy plant.

UNM researchers find strong evidence that cannabis can significantly alleviate pain

Using the largest database of real-time recordings of the effects of common and commercially available cannabis products in the United States, researchers at The University of New Mexico found strong evidence that cannabis can significantly alleviate pain, with the average user experiencing a three-point drop in pain suffering on a 0-10 point scale immediately following cannabis consumption.

21 Aug 2019

Study explores motives, experiences of young people using New Psychoactive Substances

A research study into New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) - formerly referred to as 'legal highs' - provides new evidence about why young people were attracted to the drugs, and the health and social risks associated with taking them.

20 Aug 2019

Researchers find biological system that manages cells' response to opioid drug exposure

A team at Scripps Research in Florida has discovered a biological system that manages cells' response to opioid drug exposure. The unexpected discovery offers new ideas for improving the safety of the one of the most effective, and most abused, group of pain medications.

19 Aug 2019

Among hurdles for those with opioid addictions: Getting the drug to treat it

Louis Morano knew what he needed, and he knew where to get it. He made his way to a mobile medical clinic parked on a corner of Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, in the geographical heart of the city's overdose crisis. People call it "the bupe bus."

16 Aug 2019

Evidence shows ketamine is not opioid and can treat depression easily

Ketamine’s reputation as an antidepressant is restored; it’s not an opioid.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 1 Aug 2019

Astrocytic MORs in the hippocampus responsible for conditioned place preference

If somebody asks me "are you a coffee addict?" I may say, "Yeah it seems like, but on the one condition, only in my office." I don't have that much craving for coffee at home, but just being in the office, where I used to drink coffee all the time seeking to get caffeine jitters, seems to trigger my caffeine-addicted brain.

31 Jul 2019

Brain protein mutation from an autistic person alters behavior in mice

A de novo gene mutation that encodes a brain protein in a child with autism has been placed into the brains of mice.

24 Jul 2019

Opioid overdose deaths on the decline says CDC but the real picture may still be grim

The opioid epidemic began in the 1990s with hundreds of deaths occurring each year due to overdose of these drugs of abuse. According to the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), for the first time in two decades, there has been a drop of 5 percent in the opioid overdose deaths in 2018.

17 Jul 2019

UM scientists receive $3.3 million NIH contract to develop opioid addiction vaccine

The University of Montana has received a $3.3 million contract from the National Institutes of Health to develop an innovative vaccine targeting opioid addiction.

10 Jul 2019

PDFNJ campaign emphasizes the hazards of prescription opioids

A powerful new message in Times Square from the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey emphasizes the dangers of prescription opioids.

8 Jul 2019

Florida is the latest Republican-led state to adopt clean needle exchanges

A green van was parked on the edge of downtown Miami, on a corner shadowed by overpasses. The vehicle serves as a mobile health clinic and syringe exchange, where people who inject drugs like heroin and fentanyl could swap dirty needles for fresh ones.

2 Jul 2019

Opioids are major cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Utah

Stephanie lay in the Salt Lake County jail bunk bed and thought, "Everything would be better if I just died."

28 Jun 2019

Meth in the morning, heroin at night: Inside the seesaw struggle of dual addiction

In the 25 years since she snorted her first line of meth at a club in San Francisco, Kim has redefined "normal" so many times. At first, she said, it seemed like meth brought her back to her true self — the person she was before her parents divorced, and before her stepfather moved in.

24 Jun 2019

Low rates of recommended treatment for tobacco dependence in patients hospitalized with SUDs

Tobacco dependence is very common in patients hospitalized with substance use disorders (SUDs) – but most don't receive recommended treatment for tobacco dependence while in the hospital, reports a study in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine

24 Jun 2019

New study welcomes TGA’s decision to step back from prohibiting poppers

Young gay and bisexual men are frequent users of alkyl nitrites, or poppers, but few show signs of addiction, risky consumption habits or other psychosocial problems, a study shows.

21 Jun 2019

Federal grants ‘a lifesaver’ in opioid fight, but states still struggle to curb meth

In his 40 years of working with people struggling with addiction, David Crowe has seen various drugs fade in and out of popularity in Pennsylvania's Crawford County.

17 Jun 2019

Bridging the Gaps to Advance Research in the Cannabis Industry

In this interview, Joshua Crossney outlines his talk at Pittcon 2019, aimed to bring together analytical scientists with the medical cannabis community to bridge the gaps and advance research in the cannabis industry.

From Pittcon 10 Jun 2019

Use of buprenorphine to treat opioid addiction proliferates in California

Buprenorphine, a relative newcomer in the treatment of opioid addiction, is growing in popularity among California doctors as regulatory changes, physician training and other initiatives make the medication more widely accessible.

24 May 2019

Cannabis could help people with opioid addiction

A new study has shown that cannabidiol or CBD, found in cannabis, could help people with opioid use disorder or addiction. CBD can help reduce the symptoms of craving among addicts when on withdrawal from the opioid and also reduce the accompanying anxiety and restlessness write the authors of the study.

22 May 2019

Cannabidiol reduces cue-induced craving and anxiety in individuals with history of heroin abuse

Cannabidiol reduced cue-induced craving and anxiety in individuals with a history of heroin abuse, suggesting a potential role for it in helping to break the cycle of addiction, according to research conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published May 21 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

21 May 2019