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Males are significantly more vulnerable than females to overdose deaths

Men were significantly more vulnerable than women to overdose deaths involving opioid and stimulant drugs in 2020-2021, according to a new study analyzing death records data from across the United States. The study found that men had a 2–3 times greater rate of overdose mortality from opioids (like fentanyl and heroin) and psychostimulants (like methamphetamine and cocaine).

15 Jun 2023

Harm reduction treatment for alcohol use disorder can also reduce the use of other substances

Quitting alcohol or drugs was not a top priority for people experiencing homelessness in a harm reduction treatment study, yet participants still reduced their use of both.

14 Jun 2023

Study: Only 1 in 4 addiction treatment facilities caring for U.S. adolescents offer buprenorphine

Only 1 in 4 residential addiction treatment facilities caring for U.S. adolescents under 18 years old offer buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder, according to a new study.

13 Jun 2023

Police drug seizures associated with increase in fatal overdoses

For decades, efforts by police to seize illicit drugs have been a cornerstone strategy for disrupting drug markets and removing drugs from communities. But there's an unintended outcome when opioids are seized, a new study finds -; increases in overdoses, including those that are fatal.

12 Jun 2023

New insight from patients on what helps or hinders medication-assisted opioid use disorder treatment

Patients would be more willing to enter medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder if existing stigmas were reduced and more accessible payment support was readily available, a West Virginia University study finds.

6 Jun 2023

Recovery from addiction is a journey. There’s no one-and-done solution.

The atmosphere inside the Allen House is easygoing as residents circulate freely through the hallways, meet in group sessions, or gather on a large outdoor patio that features a dirt volleyball court with an oversize net.

6 Jun 2023

California confronts the threat of ‘tranq’ as overdose crisis rages

When the city's medical examiner announced in February that four people who had recently died of overdoses had the animal sedative xylazine in their systems, public health workers across the state sprang into action.

5 Jun 2023

Reentry services for incarcerated people with substance use disorder may lower post-release risks

Contrary to expectations, the risk for relapses, overdoses and deaths related to substance use disorder didn't increase after a large-scale prison release in New Jersey, according to a Rutgers study.

2 Jun 2023

Fentanyl could be weaponized and used for terroristic mass poisoning

The widely-available drug fentanyl, already the number one killer of Americans under 50, could be weaponized and used for terroristic mass poisoning, according to health experts at Rutgers and other institutions.

1 Jun 2023

More states OK postpartum Medicaid coverage beyond two months

Study analyzes the effects of state-level policies on use of anti-opioid medication

States that want to increase access to buprenorphine, a lifesaving medication used to treat opioid use disorder, should consider efforts to enhance professional education and clinician knowledge, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

26 May 2023

Death of a 43-year-old male marks the entry of 'zombie' drug into the UK

The death of a 43-year-old male is the first in the UK to be associated with Xylazine and marks the entry of the drug into the UK drug supply.

26 May 2023

Boston Children's Hospital establishes first Division of Addiction Medicine to address substance use in children and adolescents

Boston Children's Hospital has launched the first Division of Addiction Medicine at a pediatric institution, reinforcing the importance of addressing substance use in children and adolescents providing multidisciplinary care for youth working towards recovery.

25 May 2023

California’s fentanyl problem is getting worse

California has allocated more than $1 billion in recent years to combat its opioid crisis. Much of the money has been used to distribute fentanyl test strips and the overdose reversal drug naloxone, as well as deliver medical care to people who are homeless.

23 May 2023

New Jersey's Medicaid reforms spurred increases in buprenorphine prescriptions to combat opioid addiction

Reforms to New Jersey's Medicaid program successfully spurred ongoing increases in buprenorphine prescriptions for the treatment of opioid addiction, according to a Rutgers analysis.

19 May 2023

Penn Medicine launches a new community mental health hub at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Penn Medicine is launching a new community mental health hub at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -; Cedar Avenue (HUP Cedar), co-locating inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care with a new crisis response center (CRC) at the facility.

19 May 2023

State lawmakers eye forced treatment to address overlap in homelessness and mental illness

Many of the unhoused people in Portland, Oregon, live in tents pitched on sidewalks or in aging campers parked in small convoys behind grocery stores.

17 May 2023

A rural county’s choice: Use opioid funds to pay off debt, or pay them forward to curb crisis

Over the past two years, rural Greene County in northeastern Tennessee has collected more than $2.7 million from regional and national settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors.

16 May 2023

Ketogenic diet's surprising impact on opioid sensitivity and withdrawal

Research investigates the effects of a ketogenic diet (KD) on responses to oxycodone, a commonly prescribed opioid for pain management. The study found sex-biased effects of KD on oxycodone responses in mice, suggesting potential implications for clinical pain management and treatment of opioid use disorder.

10 May 2023

California confronts overdose epidemic among former prison inmates

Michael Vera walked into a bedroom of a residential drug treatment program in Los Angeles in March to find its occupant slumped over on his bed and struggling to breathe, a homemade straw on the floor beside him and tinfoil with what appeared to be drug residue under his body.