Drug Facts in Media

The siren call of addictive drugs can be hard to resist, and returning to the environment where drugs were previously taken can make resistance that much harder. However, addicts who exercise appear to be less vulnerable to the impact of these environmental cues. Now, research with mice suggests that exercise might strengthen a drug user's resolve by altering the production of peptides in the brain.

New research revealed today highlights the power of animal studies to explore mechanisms of opioid addiction, withdrawal, and relapse to inform new prevention strategies and treatments for people.

The number of overdose deaths involving methamphetamines and amphetamines in the state of Ohio increased more than 5,000 percent over the course of eight years, according to new data.

Adolescent marijuana use may alter how neurons function in brain areas engaged in decision-making, planning and self-control, according to researchers.

Research released today underscores both the dangers and the therapeutic promise of marijuana, revealing different effects across the lifespan. Marijuana exposure in the womb or during adolescence may disrupt learning and memory, damage communication between brain regions, and disturb levels of key neurotransmitters and metabolites in the brain. In Alzheimer's disease, however, compounds found in marijuana, such as the psychoactive compound delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), may improve memory and mitigate some of the disease's symptoms.

Each state takes a different approach on how it tries to stem the impact of opioid abuse, resulting in significant variation between opioid prescription rates and the number of children placed into foster care.

Researchers have seen cognitive changes in the offspring of rats exposed to heavy amounts of cannabis. Their work is one of the rare studies to look at the effects of cannabis during pregnancy. The drug is the most commonly used illicit substance among pregnant women.

Emergency department physicians are calling for more readily available testing strips to identify the presence of fentanyl in patients experiencing a drug overdose, and a rapid, coordinated response among health care providers and city agencies to help curb overdoses and identify high potency high risk drugs.

A new study finds that one month of abstaining from cannabis use resulted in measurable improvement in memory functions important for learning among adolescents and young adults who were regular cannabis users.

Getting behind the wheel after cannabis use is on the rise in the US, and THC, not alcohol, is now the most commonly detected intoxicant in US drivers. Detecting levels of THC, however, is challenging and the methods used so far cannot accurately determine a person's level of impairment.

Sex differences in cannabis use are beginning to be explained with the aid of brain studies in animals and humans.

Researchers have found that alcohol hijacks a conserved memory pathway in the brain and changes which versions of genes are made, forming the cravings that fuel addiction.

In the wake of cannabis legalization, a team of scientists have delivered encouraging news for chronic pain sufferers by pinpointing the effective dose of marijuana plant extract cannabidiol (CBD) for safe pain relief without the typical 'high' or euphoria produced by the THC.

Researchers have for the first time investigated a substance found in liverwort that resembles THC. The psychoactive substance, which is consumed as a 'legal high,' also exerts analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, which might be superior to that of THC.

As the number of Americans who regularly use cannabis has climbed, so too has the number of those experiencing cannabis withdrawal symptoms. A new study finds that 12 percent of frequent marijuana smokers experienced Cannabis Withdrawal Syndrome (CWS), which includes emotional, behavioral and physical symptoms.

A revolutionary drug test can detect amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine and opiates from the sweat of single fingerprint sample in just 10 minutes. The research shows that the technology works on both the living and deceased.

A new study confirms that cannabis use is related to impaired and lasting effects on adolescent cognitive development.

Most teens who've tried marijuana used it in more than one form, according to a new study, raising concerns about adolescent health amid a booming cannabis market.

When forensic chemists handle evidence that contains illegal drugs, trace amounts are inevitably released into the laboratory environment, which can cause detectable background levels of drugs in the lab. Why is this a problem? 'If I run a sample and it has fentanyl, I want to be sure that fentanyl came from the sample and not from background levels in my lab,' said a researcher.

In an evaluation of the safety and abuse research on the drug in hallucinogenic mushrooms, researchers suggest that if it clears phase III clinical trials, psilocybin should be re-categorized from a schedule I drug -- one with no known medical potential -- to a schedule IV drug such as prescription sleep aids, but with tighter control.