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OxyContin created the opioid crisis, but stigma and prohibition have fueled it
The highly contentious Purdue Pharma settlement announced Sept. 1, 2021, comes at a pivotal time for the U.S. overdose crisis: 2020 was the worst year on record, with over 93,000 Americans losing their lives to fatal drug overdose. The drug overdose epidemic, now more than two decades long, has claimed the lives of more than 840,000 people since 1999. Current estimates suggest that some 2.3 million people in the U.S. use heroin and 1.7 million people use pharmaceutical opioids without a prescription.
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True behavior of the 'pleasure molecule' will reshape treatment of psychiatric diseases and addiction
Pioneering research shows that dopamine levels increase in response to stressful stimuli, and not just pleasurable ones, potentially rewriting facts about the "feel-good" hormone—a critical mediator of many psychiatric diseases. This discovery is cause to rethink treatment for psychiatric disease and addiction.
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Packaging and health warnings are key in discouraging youths from using cannabis
As more countries consider legalizing non-medical cannabis, new research shows that prominent health warnings and less attractive packaging should be mandated to reduce its appeal to children.
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Opioid use for pain relief increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
The use of opioids for pain relief in patients awaiting hip and knee replacement surgery increased dramatically during the pandemic according to new research from the University of Aberdeen.
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Patients with opioid use disorder die at a rate similar to heart attacks
Hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder died at a rate comparable to those who suffered heart attacks within a year of hospital discharge, according to a new study from Oregon Health & Science University.
