Latest News
e-Cigarette Use in Adolescent/Young Adults
The article provides data on the percentage distribution of cigarette smoking status among current adult e-cigarette users in the United States in 2021, broken down by age group, according to the National Health Interview Survey.
30% of Opioid Overdose Deaths Involve Alcohol
This study investigated the prevalence of alcohol involvement in unintentional opioid overdose deaths in Illinois from July 2017 to December 2020, including any changes associated with the COVID-19 stay-at-home order.
FDA Approved OTC Naloxone
The US FDA has approved Narcan, a nasal spray that reverses the effects of opioid overdose, for over-the-counter, nonprescription use, making it the first naloxone product to be approved without a prescription, and paving the way for its availability in drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores, gas stations, and online.
X Waiver Eliminated – start treating OUD with buprenorphine today
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy has praised the bipartisan omnibus appropriations bill signed by President Biden for expanding access to treatment for substance use disorder, providing additional resources to first responders on the front lines of the overdose epidemic, and extending important controls enabling law enforcement officials to reduce the supply and availability of illicitly manufactured fentanyl-related substances.
New CDC Guidelines for prescribing opioids
This guideline provides recommendations for clinicians to manage pain care, including prescribing opioids, for outpatients aged ≥18 years, and includes recommendations for managing acute, subacute, and chronic pain. It updates the 2016 CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain and is intended to improve communication between clinicians and patients about the benefits and risks of pain treatments, including opioid therapy, to improve effectiveness and safety of pain treatment and reduce risks associated with opioid pain therapy.
Over 100K overdose deaths annually
CDC data shows that drug overdose deaths in the US increased by almost 15% in 2021, with an estimated 107,622 deaths compared to 93,655 in 2020, and overdose deaths from opioids, synthetic opioids, psychostimulants such as methamphetamine, and cocaine also increased.