Editorial: Is Marijuana Safer Than Alcohol? Richard G. Soper, MD, FASAM, DABAM, Editor-in-Chief
Are we talking about direct effects of alcohol vs. marijuana? Are we talking about alcohol-associated vs. marijuana-associated disease? Auto injuries and fatalities associated with driving? Short-term or infrequent use relative to long-term use? Or about how use of either drug leads to incarceration, and how race is superimposed by law enforcement?
Smoking Cessation During Pregnancy and Postpartum: Practice Patterns Journal of Addiction Medicine (free ASAM member resource) This assesses current obstetrician-gynecologist practice patterns related to the management of and barriers to smoking cessation during pregnancy and postpartum. The analyses included 252 practicing ob-gyns who see pregnant patients who returned a completed survey. Ob-gyns estimated that 23% of their patients smoke before pregnancy...
Senators Question FDA’s Approval of Powerful Painkiller The Huffington Post Three US senators are questioning FDA’s approval "of a powerful painkiller called Zohydro, which experts say could add to the national epidemic of prescription drug abuse." Republicans Mitch McConnell, Tom Coburn and Lamar Alexander sent a letter to the chief of FDA Wednesday, "asking how the agency will prevent misuse and abuse of Zohydro..."
University of Utah School on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies University of Utah The Utah School Physicians Section is a week-long training in addiction treatment, presented by experts in the field. Medical student travel scholarships are available, as well as AMA Category I CME credits for practicing physicians.
Call for Proposals: National Conference on Correctional Health Care National Commission on Correctional Health Care NCCHC is seeking conference presenters to share information, research, innovative solutions and best practices in every aspect of correctional health care for the National Conference on Correctional Health Care October 18-22 in Las Vegas.
Iatrogenically Induced Opioid Dependence and Withdrawal in Children Pediatrics Opioids are commonly prescribed to children of all ages. Children prescribed opioids for as little as seven days can develop opioid dependence and exhibit drug-specific withdrawal symptoms on abrupt discontinuation. Children in ICU settings are especially prone to these issues...
Stimulation of the Nucleus Accumbens: Usefulness in Severe Opioid Addiction Molecular Psychiatry Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) has been recently reported to modulate substance-induced dysfunction and to promote an alteration of addictive behavior...
Research-Based Strategies Help Reduce Underage Drinking National Institutes of Health Since 2007, alcohol use and heavy drinking have shown declines in national surveys of middle and high school students. One study found that 12th-grade alcohol use declined from 66.4 percent to 62 percent in 2013, with a similar downward trend seen in eighth- and 10th-graders. However, underage drinking is still linked to 5,000 injury deaths per year...
Pharmacological Treatment of Comorbid PTSD and Substance Use Disorder Addictive Behaviors Previous research has identified a strong association between posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder, necessitating the development of treatments that address both conditions.
Anesthesiologists Urged to Reduce Opioid Prescribing National Pain Report One of the nation’s largest groups of anesthesiologists has joined a growing list of medical organizations in urging its members to reduce the prescribing of opiates. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), which has over 52,000 members, says opioids should not be prescribed as “first-line therapy” to treat non-cancer pain.
Nociceptin: Nature’s Balm for the Stressed Brain Medical Practice Insider Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) is the primary mediator of stress responses, and nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) plays an important role in the modulation of these stress responses. This multidisciplinary study explores the relationship between the N/OFQ and the CRF systems in response to stress.
Movie Night with ASAM ASAM Plan to attend ASAM’s Med-Sci Conference and watch a special screening of "The Anonymous People", a documentary film about the over 23 million Americans living on long-term recovery from alcohol and other drug addictions. The film’s director, Greg Williams, will also be present. The screening will be on Saturday, April 12 from 8:00pm to 9:30pm.
Doc: My State in Addiction Stranglehold CNN Mark Publicker is an addiction medicine physician, treating patients and families at Mercy Hospital Recovery Center in Westbrook, Maine. He is a fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and is editor of ASAM Magazine and a member of its patient advocacy task force.
Richard G. Soper, MD, JD, MS, FASAM, Editor-in-Chief, ASAM Weekly
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The views and positions of any content published in ASAM Weekly are not necessarily endorsed by ASAM nor a reflection of ASAM's beliefs and policies. The features are presented as a summary of the contemporary issues being represented and expressed in scientific, governmental, commercial, and media sources across the specialty field of addiction medicine. Contact ASAM Weekly with any comments or feedback.