A study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) finds that individuals who received medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) while incarcerated were significantly more likely to continue treatment six months after release than those who did not receive MOUD. The study also found that receiving MOUD in jail was associated with a 52% lower risk of fatal opioid overdose, a 24% lower risk of non-fatal opioid overdose, a 56% lower risk of death from any cause, and a 12% lower risk of reincarceration after release. These outcomes underscore the importance of providing MOUD treatment during incarceration. 

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics examined trends in overdose mortality and found that, among youth, opioid overdoses more commonly involved multiple substances than opioids alone, starting at age 21. Polysubstance-involved overdose deaths occurred among youth as young as 15 years old, and rose steadily with age. The findings also demonstrated that fentanyl and other synthetic opioids were involved in more than 93% of overdose deaths, while stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine were the primary contributors to polysubstance-involved deaths.

Despite concerns about increased stimulant prescribing, nonmedical use of ADHD drugs among adolescents has declined in the last 20 years, a University of Michigan study shows.

While medical use of prescription stimulants for ADHD among adolescents increased slightly between 2005 and 2023, nonmedical use declined more.

"Lifetime medical use was 2% lower in 2005 when compared to nonmedical use, and is now 2% higher," said study co-author Philip Veliz, U-M research associate professor at the U-M School of Nursing and Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking, and Health

A new national study finds that stigma toward patients with substance use disorders (SUD) remains widespread among U.S. healthcare providers—and varies significantly across types of substances. 

Pathway for unpleasant nicotine withdrawal symptoms in mice has the potential to be leveraged as a target for addiction treatments.

A study from the Keck School of Medicine of USC found that California high school students who frequently saw cannabis and e-cigarette posts on social media, particularly TikTok, were more likely to start using these substances. The research indicated a significant link between exposure to such content and increased substance use, even as overall e-cigarette use among teens is declining. Influencer content, which often bypasses regulatory scrutiny, poses additional risks by normalizing cannabis and e-cigarette use among young audiences.