Use of needle exchange programs up dramatically in 10 years: CDC
(HealthDay)—Although there was a significant increase in the use of syringe services programs (SSPs)—more commonly known as needle exchange programs—across the United States over the past decade, many...
View ArticleThe MDMA being used to treat trauma is different from the street drug Ecstasy
On Nov. 30 the FDA approved a Phase III clinical trial to confirm the effectiveness of treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with MDMA, also known as Ecstasy.
View ArticleFighting the stigma of medical treatment for opioid addiction in the U.S.
Methadone, the first pharmacological treatment for heroin addiction, was pioneered 50 years ago by Rockefeller University's Mary Jeanne Kreek and her colleagues. Since then the drug, which is widely...
View ArticleWhy do teens reject drugs? Communication is the key, says researcher
Why do teens reject the use of marijuana? According to a new study by researchers from Rutgers University–Camden and the University of Pennsylvania, there are several factors: attributes of their...
View ArticleCanada faces deadly fentanyl overdose crisis
Sirens scream non-stop through the urban heart of Vancouver, as responders race toward drug addicts overdosing—and dying in such numbers that the city's morgues are full.
View ArticleThe war on drugs causes massive human rights violations
The war on drugs has had devastating effects on human rights and public health worldwide, argue experts in The BMJ today.
View ArticlePatients with severe mental illnesses slip between cracks in HIV testing
People with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and major depression with psychosis may be up to 15 more likely than the general population to be HIV positive, but are only marginally more likely to be...
View ArticleLessons learned from an overdose outbreak
Last summer, within eight hours, 12 patients were brought to the emergency department at Yale New Haven Hospital with signs of drug overdose. They had been exposed to toxic doses of fentanyl, a highly...
View ArticleResearchers say supervised injection sites needed in London
There is a need for supervised injection sites, and research has shown that to be the case in some of Canada's largest cities, including Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
View ArticleWhen cocaine's in the mix, safe sex may not be
(HealthDay)—The long list of health woes linked to cocaine abuse includes risky sexual behavior, a small, new study suggests.
View ArticleFormer addicts try to help drug users in Afghanistan
Raheem Rejaey was a drug addict for 17 years. He lived under bridges in Kabul or in the ruins of buildings. His clothes reeked. In his misery, he tried suicide several times, he said, once...
View ArticleFrom pill to needle: Prescription opioid epidemic may be increasing drug...
The prescription opioid epidemic is shrinking the time it used to take drug users to progress to drug injection, a new Keck School of Medicine of USC-led study suggests.
View ArticleCombining heroin and commonly prescribed non-opioid pain killers leads to a...
A multi-disciplinary study has shown that the recent substantial increase in prescriptions for two drugs, pregabalin and gabapentin, used widely for a range of neurological disorders is closely...
View ArticleMaking drug use a crime makes HIV prevention, treatment more difficult
The criminalization of drug use has a negative effect on efforts to prevent and treat people with HIV, suggests a review of published research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public...
View ArticleIt's often family to the rescue during opioid ODs
(HealthDay)—The tragic scenario has become far too familiar: A mother, a father or a sibling discovers the lifeless body of a loved one who has overdosed on opioids.
View ArticlePhiladelphia to mull safe injection sites in opioid fight
A task force charged with outlining ways for Philadelphia to combat its opioid epidemic has recommended the city consider allowing safe sites, where drug users could inject heroin.
View ArticleSafe space for illegal drug consumption in Baltimore would save $6 million a...
A new cost-benefit analysis conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and others suggests that $6 million in costs related to the opioid epidemic could be saved each year if a...
View ArticleResearchers say U.S. policies on drugs and addiction could use a dose of...
Tens of thousands of Americans die from drug overdoses every year – around 50,000 in 2015 – and the number has been steadily climbing for at least the last decade and a half, according to the National...
View ArticleSenate passes legislation to ensure no halt in FDA reviews
Drug and medical device makers would pay higher user fees under legislation the Senate approved and sent to the president on Thursday. The revenue raised would help pay for the government reviews...
View ArticleReport reveals underground US haven for heroin, drug users
A safe haven where drug users inject themselves with heroin and other drugs has been quietly operating in the United States for the past three years, a report reveals.
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