Heroin News and Research

RSS

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.

California voters consider tough love for repeat drug offenders

California voters are considering whether to roll back some of the criminal justice reforms enacted a decade ago as concerns about mass incarceration give way to public anger over property crime and a fentanyl crisis that has plagued the state since the covid-19 pandemic hit.

30 Sep 2024

Higher doses of buprenorphine linked to lower emergency visits in opioid use disorder

Adults with opioid use disorder who receive a higher daily dose of the opioid addiction treatment medication buprenorphine may have a lower risk of subsequent emergency department visits or use of inpatient services related to behavioral health (such as for mental health and substance use disorders) than adults receiving the recommended dose, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

25 Sep 2024

Study reveals significant increase in drug overdoses in Colombia among young women

Overdose rates in Colombia involving illegal opioids, hallucinogens, stimulants and sedative psychotropic medication increased greatly during 2018-2021, mainly caused by overdoses in young women, according to a study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

12 Sep 2024

Study reveals 45% drop in oxycodone use in Australia after policy changes

Between 2018 and 2020, Australia implemented policy changes to improve the quality and safety of opioid prescribing, with a specific focus on oxycodone.

12 Sep 2024

Cannabis and hallucinogen use stayed at historically high among adults in 2023

The percentages of adults using cannabis and hallucinogens over the past year stayed at historically high levels in 2023, according to the latest findings from the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future survey.

29 Aug 2024

North Carolina's residential opioid treatment services lack evidence-based approaches

A new study of organizations that claim to provide residential opioid substance use services in North Carolina found that only 12% of the organizations were licensed by the state to provide residential substance use treatment. What's more, only about a quarter of the organizations even allowed patients to access the only treatment for opioid use disorder proven to reduce overdose deaths.

29 Aug 2024

Recreational drug users three times more likely to experience repeat cardiovascular events

New research presented at this year's ESC Congress 2024 in London, UK (30 Aug – 2 Sept) shows that, among patients admitted to the intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU), those with a recent history of recreational drug use are three times more likely than those with no history to experience a repeat serious cardiovascular event within one year.

28 Aug 2024

Public voices often ignored in states’ opioid settlement money decisions

The conversation wasn't sounding good for Kensington residents on June 20. The Philadelphia neighborhood is a critical center of the nation's opioid crisis, and the city had decided to spend $7.5 million in opioid settlement money to improve the quality of life there.

27 Aug 2024

Exploring the impact of xylazine on wound care needs

The animal tranquilizer xylazine is increasingly found in the illicit opioid supply nationwide, leading to severe wounds among people who use drugs. New research led by a University of Pittsburgh physician-scientist and published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence seeks to understand the wound care experiences of this population.

22 Aug 2024

Study: Drug-involved overdose deaths increased by over 500% in 2022

Drug-involved overdose deaths increased by over 500 percent in 2022 according to a study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, with trends attributed to synthetic opioids.

5 Aug 2024

Study reveals link between illicit fentanyl use and HCV transmission among people who inject drugs

An international team of researchers from University of California San Diego and el Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Mexico have revealed a significant association between the use of illicit fentanyl and the transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among people who inject drugs in San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico.

30 Jul 2024

Changes in prescribing practices and parental awareness contribute to teen drug decline

Since 2009, U.S. high school seniors have reported steep declines in medical use, misuse and availability of the three most commonly prescribed and misused controlled substances for teens, a new University of Michigan study found.

25 Jul 2024

Marine fungus-derived aniquinazolin B could be a potential opioid alternative

Opioids have long been known as natural substances with substantial pharmacological effect. They have been used as effective painkillers.

17 Jul 2024

Breakthrough biosensors illuminate opioid dynamics in the brain

New research from a Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience researcher could transform how we understand the way opioids affect the brain.

15 Jul 2024

UCLA study finds insomnia drug suvorexant prevents opioid addiction in mice

New research led by UCLA Health has found a drug that treats insomnia works to prevent the addictive effects of the morphine opioids in mice while still providing effective pain relief.

9 Jul 2024

Pain doesn’t belong on a scale of zero to 10

Over the past two years, a simple but baffling request has preceded most of my encounters with medical professionals: "Rate your pain on a scale of zero to 10."

2 Jul 2024

Survey: 82.7 million Americans impacted by overdose deaths

Losing a loved one to drug overdose has been a common experience for many Americans in recent years, crossing political and socioeconomic divides and boosting the perceived importance of the overdose crisis as a policy issue, according to a new survey led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

31 May 2024