September 28, 2012
Compiled & Edited by Sue Emerson – Publisher
Prior Edition: September 5, 2012
List of all News/Updates
MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT (MAT) AND OPIOID ABUSE/ADDICTION
- New Report Recommends Expanding Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment in Armed Forces
- Medical Consensus or Child Abuse? Moms on Methadone Caught in the Middle
- September 2012 Issue of Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems is Now Available Online
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Part 3: Implementation Challenges and Strategies
- Gateway Drugs Linked to Prescription Drug Abuse
- WVU Study Finds Link between ‘Doctor Shopping,’ Overdose Deaths
In order to better understand current substance use problems within the U.S. military, the Department of Defense (DoD) asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to analyze policies and programs that pertain to prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs) for active duty service members in all branches, members of the National Guard and Reserve, and military families.
Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems, the official journal of EUROPAD (European Opiate Addiction Treatment Association), is a peer-reviewed publication for professionals wanting to stay informed of research and opinion on opioid misuse treatment in Europe and around the world. A particular emphasis is on medication-assisted treatments for opioid addiction. Articles in this issue include:
Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine analyzed nationally-representative survey data to explore a possible link between alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use as an adolescent and subsequent abuse of prescription pain medication as a young adult. Their paper, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, was the first to find that a link between these “gateway drugs” and prescription painkillers. They found that all three drugs are associated with higher levels of prescription drug abuse in men, but only marijuana use is associated with higher levels of prescription drug abuse in in women.
A published study conducted by researchers at West Virginia University (WVU) has found that doctor and pharmacy shoppers are at a greater risk for drug-related death.
A study currently being conducted at the University of California Los Angeles, is finding even more evidence that one of the top reasons addicts put off treatment is a fear of the social consequences. “In a nutshell, people fear the label of “recovered addict” more than they do the hardships of going “cold turkey.” Why? Because in many cases they risk facing social humiliation and a variety of legal restrictions on driving, housing, custody of children, business licensing, as well as an extended period of mandated drug testing, many of which stem from a misunderstanding of addiction.
This new report from RAND Corporation provides a nonpartisan primer that should be of interest to those who are new to the field of drug policy, as well as those who have been working in the trenches. It begins with an overview of problems and policies related to illegal drugs in the United States, including the nonmedical use of prescription drugs. It then discusses the efficacy of U.S. drug policies and programs, including long-standing issues that deserve additional attention. Next, the paper lists the major funders of research and analysis in the area and describes their priorities. By highlighting the issues that receive most of the funding, this discussion identifies where gaps remain.
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