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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.

Polysubstance-involved opioid overdose deaths are more common among youth, study shows

Results of a new study show that opioid overdose deaths involving more than one substance (polysubstances) are more common than opioid-only overdose deaths among youth.

23 Nov 2020

Research finds one-third of students misusing prescription opioids tend to use heroin later

Nearly one-third of students who reported misusing prescription opioids as high school seniors between 1997 and 2000, but did not have a history of medical use, later used heroin by age 35, according to a University of Michigan study.

21 Oct 2020

Study examines the pharmacogenomics of opioid addiction

In one of the first studies of its kind, a University of Cincinnati researcher is using a grant from the Ohio attorney general's office to research the pharmacogenomics of opioid addiction.

13 Oct 2020

Study: Cannabis seldom serves as substitute for non-medical opioids

A study published in the scientific journal Addiction suggests that, contrary to what some are claiming, people in the US may not be substituting cannabis for opioids.

8 Oct 2020

Study explores women's interest in long-acting injectable PrEP to prevent HIV

Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective method of reducing risk for HIV, yet use of PrEP is uniformly low, especially among women.

22 Sep 2020

College students with physical and cognitive disabilities have greater risk for substance abuse

College students with physical and cognitive disabilities use illicit drugs more, and have a higher prevalence of drug use disorder, than their non-disabled peers, according to a Rutgers study.

21 Sep 2020

Nasal sprays are a known remedy for preventing opioid overdose deaths

Between 250 and 270 people die each year from heroin or opioid overdoses in Norway. In the EU, thousands die. European users now have a better option available for helping each other.

3 Sep 2020

Clinicians may have to look beyond opioids to tackle nation’s substance use epidemic

Overcoming the nation's opioid epidemic will require clinicians to look beyond opioids, new research from Oregon Health & Science University suggests.

28 Aug 2020

Study: UnityPhilly app can help fight America's opioid crisis

Equipped with naloxone and a smartphone app, community members can save lives in the fight against America's opioid crisis, according to a paper from researchers at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health and colleagues published this week in The Lancet journal EClinicalMedicine.

6 Aug 2020

NICE guideline advises GPs to stop prescribing opioids for chronic pain

Published today, the first ever NICE guideline on the treatment of chronic pain has said that GPs should not prescribe opioids and other medicines like paracetamol to patients because they could be ‘harmful’ and cause addiction.

5 Aug 2020

Smartphone alert can aid laypersons in opioid overdose reversal

Without timely reversal, opioid overdose causes respiratory depression that may deteriorate into apnea, leading to brain injury and even death.

3 Aug 2020

Analysis: How a COVID-19 vaccine could cost Americans dearly

Yes, of course, Americans' health is priceless, and reining in a deadly virus that has trashed the economy would be invaluable.

8 Jul 2020

Cannabis offences in schools across England rise, data reveals

The number of offences for the possession of Cannabis, the possession of hard controlled drugs like Heroin, Cocaine and Ecstasy and drug trafficking in schools, colleges and Universities across England have all risen in the last few years, according to new insight by leading drug addiction experts UKAT.

3 Jul 2020

Fentanyl tops the list of drugs detected in overdose patients at Baltimore hospitals

A new University of Maryland study found fentanyl tops the list of drugs detected in overdose patients at two Baltimore hospital emergency departments.

12 Jun 2020

Majority of people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside use cannabis for therapeutic reasons

Most people at high risk of overdose in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside who use cannabis do so for pain relief and other therapeutic reasons--and they may be at lower risk of overdosing on opioids as a result, suggests new research published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.

26 May 2020

Job skills training for low-income youth helps reduce illicit drug use

Job skills training for low-income youth does more than just help them get better jobs - it makes them significantly less likely than others to use some illicit drugs, even 16 years later.

13 May 2020

New study explores brain regions that drive the instinct to form lasting bonds

When it comes to forming a lasting bond, our longing for a partner may be as important as-;if not more important than-;how we react when we're with them, suggests a surprising new brain imaging study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

13 May 2020

Study pinpoints potential neural basis for monogamous reunion

When it comes to forming a lasting bond, our longing for a partner may be as important as--if not more important than--how we react when we're with them, suggests a surprising new brain imaging study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week.

11 May 2020

Study: Scant proportion of hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder receive treatment

Despite a national opioid-related overdose epidemic that continues to claim tens of thousands of lives annually, a new nationwide study shows that a scant proportion of hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder receive proven life-saving medications both during and after they're discharged.

8 May 2020

Study: Multidimensional approach works best for tackling nonmedical drug use

Health practitioners are constantly developing new ways to help those with drug and alcohol addictions wean themselves from their substance of choice.

25 Apr 2020