Abuse/Addiction

Can you use Marijuana to Treat Drug Addiction?As more states legalize cannabis with both medical and recreational/adult-use legislation, the topic of using marijuana to treat drug addiction seems to come up more and more.

Opioid addiction is a real epidemic in our nation, with the numbers growing every year. We hear about the heroin addiction tragedies every day on the news, but addiction to prescription opioid painkillers is an equally large problem, destroying thousands of lives every day. In light of this serious problem, more and more medical professionals are turning towards a potentially untapped resource in treating those suffering from these addictions: marijuana.As cannabis becomes decriminalized and even legalized for medical purposes in states across the nation, scientists are exploring its possible use to treat the addiction epidemic.

The criminalization of drug use has a negative effect on efforts to prevent and treat people with HIV, suggests a review of published research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of British Columbia.

The findings, appearing May 14 in The Lancet HIV, suggest that the so-called War on Drugs, which called for stiff penalties for possession of illegal drugs, has been unsuccessful in reducing drug use and has put thousands of people in jail who might be better served through drug treatment.

H.B. 81 is gone but not forgotten.
A bill intended to lessen the penalty for possessing small amounts of marijuana expired last night in the Texas House, without receiving a vote.
Considered deceased at the stroke of midnight, had House Bill 81 survived the political process to become law, the bill would have drastically reduced the penalties for individuals caught in possession with personal amounts of marijuana.
Currently punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine, H.B.

The latest in a lengthy list of career roadblocks for Cleveland Browns star receiver Josh Gordon came Thursday when the 26-year-old was denied reinstatement by the National Football League.
According to USA Today Sports, Gordon reapplied for reinstatement on March 1 of this year — the first day he was eligible to do so. The NFL has yet to issue a formal statement on the Gordon situation.
Last season, the speedy deep threat was suspended for the first four games of the season as part of a conditional reinstatement agreement with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

So, what do Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. Roy Cooper, Gov. Charlie Baker, Project SAM co-founder and former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, and Bertha K. Madras all have in common – besides their apparent disdain for sensible marijuana reform?
They’ve all been tapped by Trump to help shape his Administration’s new war on drugs and addiction.
The announcement comes after dramatically cutting the Office of National Drug Policy budget by 95% on Monday, signaling the Trump Administration is ready, willing, and able to turn back the hands of time on the Drug War clock.

On April 26, 2017, the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), together with some of its strongest supporters, gathered to celebrate the career and resignation of the organization’s Founder and Executive Director, Ethan Nadelman.  Tears were shed by family and friends alike, as DPA staff recounted the manner by which Nadelman, a New York native, championed drug reform over the course of decades, working from a basement office with a handful of volunteers, to a global organization that is over 70 employees strong.

(HealthDay)—A child bullied in fifth grade is more likely to show signs of depression in seventh grade, and abuse substances like alcohol, marijuana or tobacco in 10th grade, researchers say.

Their study of more than 4,000 kids in Los Angeles, Houston and Birmingham, Ala., suggests a dangerous trajectory between not-uncommon childhood abuse and worrisome behavior in high school.
"Our study suggests that it's important to take peer victimization seriously," said study co-author Valerie Earnshaw. She's an assistant professor in human development and family studies at the University of Delaware.

USC researchers found that injection drug users from younger generations are more likely than older users to have tried heroin or opiates as their first drug. People who abuse opioids are believed to slide more quickly into injection drug abuse than other drug users, so researchers believe that without intervention, today's opioid epidemic will lead to growing injection drug abuse among the young.

At the Center for BrainHealth, Dr. Xiaosi Gu and Dr. Francesca Filbey are taking a new approach to addiction research with a focus on quantifying craving in the brain. Credit: Ashton Miller
A new article in JAMA Psychiatry details the first step in revealing how craving works in the brain. Scientists at the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas are the first to propose a systematic and quantitative model for drug addiction research. The model focuses on craving: the intense, urgent feeling of needing or wanting drugs.