Addiction

Researchers at Duke University are exploring how psychedelics function in the brain by dosing larval zebrafish with a compound similar to LSD, and investigating how the substance affects movement and perception.

Researchers at the University of Iowa have launched a pilot study to investigate the use of psilocybin and ketamine as a treatment for alcohol addiction.

A Florida company has announced clinical trials for the first-ever drug seeking to treat cannabis use disorder.

On Monday, the Czech cabinet was slated to review a draft plan for addressing drug addiction in the country including launching a regulated cannabis market and increasing spending on treatment.

Few individuals in Oregon are utilizing the free addiction help services available under the state’s new drug decriminalization law.

The administration of Gov. Tom Wolf (D) will have to reveal the number of cannabis patients enrolled in the program for opioid addiction treatment after a panel of Pennsylvania judges sided with a news agency’s request.

According to research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, cannabis legalization in Washington state has not led to increases in the use of alcohol and cigarettes or abuse of pharmaceutical painkillers.

The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority has designated $2 million from medical cannabis taxes to fund youth substance abuse programs in the state.

A new study found that psilocybin may be able to reverse alcohol brain damage, reduce alcohol-addictive behavior, and reduce relapse rates.

A recent study found no evidence that U.S. Army recruits with a past history of cannabis use were riskier across the board and, in some cases, they are more likely to perform better.

Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Medicine announced that the National Institutes of Health will provide nearly $4 million to help researchers study how psilocybin can affect tobacco addiction.

Cara Wietstock, host of Fresh Cut by Ganjapreneur, meets with Colin Wells, a US Army Infantry veteran and founder of Veterans Walk and Talk. Cara and Colin explore how he overcame his own addiction after experiencing homelessness, the veteran experience, and how the combination of cannabis, psychedelics, nature, and community can improve veterans’ lives.

Researchers found that less than 2% of people living in states that have legalized cannabis have been diagnosed with “cannabis use disorder” and that the reforms were not linked to increased cannabis consumption among youths aged 12-20.

Researchers found that withdrawal effects from synthetic cannabinoids appear more rapidly with consumers reporting more severe symptoms of insomnia, irritation and bad mood, heart palpitations, and loss of appetite.

Pennsylvania officials will disclose for the first time how many of the state’s medical cannabis patients are certified as a treatment for opioid use disorder, as well as each of the state’s other qualifying conditions.

Researchers found about a 20% reduction in the probability that a person reports having any income from workers’ compensation following statewide cannabis legalization.

Men’s Tribal House in Utah is the first sober living home in the state to let facility residents utilize medical cannabis on their path to recovery.

A recent study shows that cannabis can improve treatment outcomes for people in care for opioid addiction.

San Francisco health officials confirmed they are helping some people to access cannabis, alcohol, and methadone during voluntary hotel stays paid for by the city to help otherwise unhoused people self-quarantine.

Oregon activists have launched a campaign to decriminalize all drug possession in an effort to reduce unfairly harsh prison sentences and increase addiction treatment possibilities.

New Mexico has added six new conditions to the qualifying conditions list for the state’s medical cannabis program. The added conditions include opioid addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and three neurological disorders.

Under a bill signed into law last week in Colorado, doctors can now recommend medical cannabis to treat any condition for which they might have otherwise prescribed opioids.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has added opiate addiction as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis, effective immediately. The state has already seen 141 opioid overdose deaths in 2019.

Medical experts will study six new conditions to see if there is sufficient evidence for adding them to the state’s medical cannabis program.