National News

SAMHSA ADVISORY: Prescription Stimulant Misuse Among Youth and Young Adults The misuse of prescription pain relievers, tranquilizers, sedatives, and stimulants among youth and young adults aged 12 to 25 is a major public health issue in the United States. The prevalence of prescription drug misuse is highest among young adults…

Back in 1998, medical doctors Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda found that 10 adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) independently predicted a wide range of psychological and medical disorders in adulthood in a stepwise fashion. That is, the more ACEs people experienced prior to age 18, the more likely they were to have poor…

Deaths caused by fentanyl continue to plague the younger segment of the population. As of last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a minimum of 70,000 deaths over one year could be attributed to synthetic opioid overdoses, including thousands of teenagers and young adults. The Drug Enforcement…

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced on Monday, June 28, 2021, that it is lifting the 14-year moratorium on methadone dispensing vans operated by narcotic treatment programs (NTPs). This rule change, which took effect on July 28, 2021, will have a significant impact on the nation’s 1,700 DEA-registered and…

Despite progress, drug overdose remains a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. Overdoses involving prescription and illicit opioids take the lives of 136 people every day. Recently, dramatic increases in opioid misuse and overdose death have been observed among people from some racial and ethnic minority groups,…

Diego considers himself fortunate. The 49-year-old man, who is only being identified by his first name for privacy reasons, thinks back on some dark moments in his life —all associated with drugs. He said his brothers introduced him to narcotics when he was 12 and living in his hometown of…

A new Iris House campaign promotes HIV, hep C and STI testing and emphasizes the importance of mental health among young people. What makes you glow? For a group of young social media influencers in a new awareness campaign titled “Simply Glow’d,” the answer is getting tested for HIV, hepatitis…

Social-distancing measures and lockdowns have disproportionately increased alcohol use in the LGBTQ community, studies find. Abigail Mazzarella, 26, often went to gay bars in Baltimore before Covid-19 stay-at-home measures were introduced. “I don’t live anywhere near my family, so I did depend on that community and friendships to get by…