Drug and alcohol dependence
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Nov 2020
Assessing how the history of e-cigarette and cigarette use are associated with the developmental course of marijuana use in a sample of United States adolescents.
The purpose of this study was to determine the developmental course of marijuana use among adolescents based on their history of cigarette and e-cigarette use among a national U.S. sample of adolescents who were followed over a four year time-period. ⋯ While concurrent and non-concurrent dual use was strongly associated with marijuana use over the study period, marijuana use increased at a faster rate across the four-year span of the study among e-cigarette only users.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Nov 2020
Steep increases in fentanyl-related mortality west of the Mississippi River: Recent evidence from county and state surveillance.
Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids (e.g., fentanyl) increased 10-fold in the United States from 2013 to 2018, despite such opioids being rare in illicit drug markets west of the Mississippi River. Public health professionals have feared a "fentanyl breakthrough" in western U.S. drug markets could further accelerate overdose mortality. We evaluated the number and nature of western U.S. fentanyl deaths using the most recent data available. ⋯ Fentanyl has spread westward, increasing deaths in the short-term and threatening to dramatically worsen the nation's already severe opioid epidemic in the long-term. Increasing the standard dose of naloxone, expanding Medicaid, improving coverage of addiction treatment, and public health educational campaigns should be prioritized.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Nov 2020
Evaluating the impact of COVID-19: A cohort comparison study of drug use and risky sexual behavior among sexual minority men in the U.S.A.
Sexual minority men who use drugs have high sexual HIV transmission risk. Sexual interactions may also increase COVID-19 risk.This study compared marijuana use, other illegal drugs use (i.e. cocaine/crack, methamphetamine, MDMA/ecstasy, GHB, and ketamine) and sexual behavior with casual partners among sexual minority cismen active on social networking and dating applications before and during the COVID-19 epidemic. ⋯ While the proportion of participants reporting drug use and condomless anal sex with casual partners declined in the COVID cohort, the association between drug use and sexual behavior was magnified. Sexual minority men who use drugs are significantly more likely to engage in sexual behaviors that place them at risk for HIV and COVID-19 transmission.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Nov 2020
State pain management clinic policies and county opioid prescribing: A fixed effects analysis.
The U.S. has seen an unprecedented rise in opioid-related morbidity and mortality, and states have passed numerous laws in response. Researchers have not comprehensively established the effectiveness of pain management clinic regulations to reduce opioid prescribing using national data. ⋯ Implementation of pain management clinic laws reduced county-level opioid prescribing. States should review specific components to determine which forms of law are most efficacious.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Oct 2020
Successful engagement in buprenorphine treatment among hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder and trauma.
The opioid epidemic continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality. Although there are effective medications for opioid use disorder (OUD), a minority of patients receive these treatments. OUD is common among patients hospitalized for traumatic injury and hospitalization could be an opportunity to initiate medications and link to ongoing buprenorphine care. ⋯ Among hospitalized patients with OUD who initiate buprenorphine, those who were hospitalized for trauma were at least as likely to link to out-patient treatment. Trauma admissions represent an important opportunity for diagnosing and linking patients with OUD to buprenorphine treatment.