Drug Abuse News and Research

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Most Medicaid plans cover naloxone but barriers still exist

A new study found that almost all plans in 40 states and Washington, DC covered at least one form of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, although certain restrictions and quantity limits may still prevent people from accessing this life-saving drug.

27 Jun 2025

Social media content exposure linked to teen vaping and cannabis use

Teens who see social media posts showing cannabis or e-cigarettes, including from friends and influencers, are more likely to later start using those substances or to report using them in the past month, according to surveys done by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

24 Jun 2025

Study identifies strategies for expanding low-barrier wound care services for people who use drugs

A new study published in the Harm Reduction Journal identifies critical factors and strategies for expanding low-barrier wound care services for people who use drugs (PWUD).

19 Jun 2025

OU researchers launch innovative study to track e-cigarette habits in young adults

Electronic cigarettes, or vapes, are widely used and available in hundreds of different types and flavors, yet researchers lack information about the everyday e-cigarette habits of young adults.

18 Jun 2025

Telehealth does not increase risk of substance use disorder in ADHD patients

Telehealth can make health care easier to access for patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who need treatment, but experts worry about an increased risk of substance use disorder for patients being prescribed controlled medications such as stimulants for ADHD during these appointments.

12 Jun 2025

Mount Sinai receives NIH grant to study overdoses linked to synthetic opioids

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has been awarded a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a division of the National Institutes of Health, to study drug overdose cases linked to novel synthetic opioids.

10 Jun 2025

Wayne State researchers investigate effects of fentanyl use during pregnancy

A new National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant will aid Wayne State University researchers in measuring the effects of fentanyl during pregnancy on maternal behaviors and offspring at birth through early development.

5 Jun 2025

Study finds strong connection between incarceration and early death

This study shows individual incarceration rates and rates at the county level (the number of incarcerated individuals per 100,000 residents) are strongly associated with increased mortality in the United States.

3 Jun 2025

New genetically modified fruit fly model sheds light on cocaine addiction

For the first time, researchers have created genetically modified fruit flies that can become addicted to cocaine.

2 Jun 2025

Cannabis use among older adults in the US reaches record levels

Marijuana use among older adults in the US has reached a new high, with 7 percent of adults aged 65 and over who report using it in the past month, according to an analysis led by researchers with the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (CDUHR) at the NYU School of Global Public Health.

2 Jun 2025

Self-reported night owls may be more impulsive than morning larks

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2025 annual meeting found that adolescents who prefer to sleep and wake up later ("night owls") reported greater impulsivity than those who prefer to sleep and wake up earlier ("morning larks").

2 Jun 2025

Chronic cannabis use linked to significant cardiovascular risks

A new study led by UC San Francisco researchers finds that chronic cannabis use - whether it's smoked or consumed in edible form - is associated with significant cardiovascular risks.

28 May 2025

Loss of automatic reenrollment leads to drop in health insurance coverage

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, University of South Carolina and Emory University have published findings in JAMA Health Forum from a recent study on coverage retention and plan switching among Americans who obtain their health insurance through HealthCare.gov.

23 May 2025

Blood markers offer hope for early detection of teen depression

Using a novel lab method they developed, McGill University researchers have identified nine molecules in the blood that were elevated in teens diagnosed with depression.

22 May 2025

Sudden cardiac death found to be a major risk among male bodybuilders

Sudden cardiac death is responsible for an unusually high proportion of deaths in male bodybuilders worldwide with the highest risk among professional bodybuilders, according to research published in the European Heart Journal today (Wednesday).

21 May 2025

Study highlights the growing toll of parental substance use on American children

A large percentage of American children are growing up in households with at least one parent who uses alcohol or other drugs in problematic ways-raising the risk that those children will go on to do the same, a new study suggests.

13 May 2025

Illicit fentanyl use in the U.S. far higher than previously reported

More Americans use illicit opioids such as fentanyl than previously estimated, highlighting the need for better methods to understand the depths of the opioid crisis, according to a new study.

10 May 2025

Cannabis use during pregnancy linked to higher risk of infant complications

An updated systematic review finds that consuming cannabis while pregnant appears to increase the odds of preterm birth, low birth weight and infant death.

5 May 2025

Medicaid unwinding may have put opioid recovery care at risk

The massive national effort to return the Medicaid enrollment process to its pre-pandemic rules starting in April 2023 may have disrupted the care of people receiving treatment for opioid addiction, a new University of Michigan study suggests.

3 May 2025

Psychotherapy gains ground in outpatient mental health care

Psychotherapy assumed a larger role in outpatient mental health care while psychiatric medication without psychotherapy became less common, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

1 May 2025