According to national estimates, nearly 2.2 million U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 met the criteria for at least one substance use disorder (SUD) in 2023. Drug and alcohol- related concerns are the second leading cause of death and disability within this age group and the third leading cause of death for children nationally. For opioid, alcohol and nicotine use disorders, national experts recommend a comprehensive treatment approach that includes both medication-based and behavioral interventions. For opioid use disorder, medication is the recommended first-line treatment. Nonetheless, access to medication among adolescents with SUD remains extremely limited.

In a new review in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, researchers from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine found that very little research has been done to investigate and inform the use of medications for SUD in people under the age of 18, particularly those identifying as racial, gender and sexual minorities. These findings underscore the urgent need for additional research into medication treatments for diverse youth with SUD and for additional policy and funding initiatives to support its realization.

A team of researchers has discovered that latent antimicrobial resistance is more widespread across the world than known resistance. They call for broader surveillance of resistance in wastewater, as the problematic genes of the future may be hiding in the widespread reservoir of latent resistance genes. The research has been published in Nature Communications.