Cannabis found more harmful to cognition than alcohol in teens

Lasting effects of adolescent cannabis use are even more pronounced than those for alcohol, researchers suggest in a new study of the role of impaired cognition on substance use. According to the study, published in the February issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, both alcohol and cannabis misuse are related to impaired cognition, but is this cause or correlation? To infer cause, researchers in general use four theoretical models.     

‘Cash‐only’ buprenorphine a threat to opioid crisis

In an editorial written by the principal researcher on the clinical trials that led to the approval of buprenorphine‐naloxone to treat opioid use disorder, the increase in cash‐only buprenorphine clinics is called a threat to the opioid treatment system. “Proliferation of Cash‐Only Buprenorphine Treatment Clinics: A Threat to the Nation's Response to the Opioid Crisis,” by Art Van Zee, M.D., of the St. Charles Clinic, Stone Mountain Health Services, and David Fiellin, M.D., of the Yale University School of Medicine, was published in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health.     

Senate Appropriations Committee hears about funding needs for SAPT block grant

The opioid epidemic is persisting, calling for the need for more funding, according to testimony on Capitol Hill last month. Mark Stringer, director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health and single state authority (SSA) for the state's Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) block grant. In addition, it's important to transition from opioid‐focused funding to general funding for substance use prevention and treatment in general, via increasing the block grant, he said.     

Stop Stigma Now plans for future

Stop Stigma Now is planning to combine the names of NDRI‐USA and Stop Stigma Now, in a move that the organization hopes will give it more gravitas. Stop Stigma Now is a growing force in the methadone treatment patient community, which has been eclipsed by the general move to buprenorphine and naltrexone in media coverage.     

Philadelphia‐based harm‐reduction advocate joins CleanSlate

Brooke Feldman is well‐known to the Philadelphia world of drug users as a peer counselor active in harm‐reduction work. But starting this week, she will be Center Manager for two sites owned by CleanSlate Centers, a treatment program focused on opioid and alcohol addiction. Feldman has a master's in social work and is able to bridge the “street” world and that of the established treatment center—but acknowledges that there was a leap of faith involved in joining the treatment field.     

OTPs look toward criminal justice as major area for growth

Opioid treatment programs (OTPs), formerly known as methadone clinics, were set for a dramatic expansion several years ago when the opioid crisis was growing at an increasing rate, but now, that expansion is targeted toward one population of patients in particular: those in the criminal justice system. In particular, people who are in prison and jail are most likely to need — and not receive — treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), and the nation's OTPs are ready to help.     

Hill Day: The three big ‘asks’ from NAATP

At the “Hill Day” event that marked the end of the annual leadership conference of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP), 120 association members went to the Senate and House of Representatives to make their case. “I felt it would be successful if we had 50 members who stayed the extra day and did the Hill visits,” Mark Dunn, NAATP policy representative, told ADAW of the May 8 visits. So he was thrilled that so many went.     

Harwood,retired NASADAD research director,on data,grants

Henrick J. Harwood, research director of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) from 2008 to 2018, talked about highlights from his years at the organization.     

Extending Bayesian back-calculation to estimate age and time specific HIV incidence

Lifetime Data Analysis - CD4-based multi-state back-calculation methods are key for monitoring the HIV epidemic, providing estimates of HIV incidence and diagnosis rates by disentangling their...