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Frances Bean Cobain and the Genetics of Addiction

(NIDA)  Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of famous rockers Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, recently acknowledged that she's in recovery from addiction.

New Websites Aim to Educate People about Opioid Addiction

The White House recently launched two websites: CrisisNextDoor.gov and Opioids.gov, as part of an effort to address the nation’s ongoing epidemic.

Opioid poisonings, overdoses send more US kids to hospitals

(Associated Press, March 5) According to a new study, opioids are sending more children to the hospital due to accidental poisoning or overdose.

Opioids no better than NSAIDs for chronic back or arthritis pain

(Reuters Health, March 6) – Non-opioid painkillers – like Acetaminophen and ibuprofen – are just about as effective for back, knee, or hip pain as opioids, according to a new study.

CDC: Emergency Dept. Visits for Opioid Overdoses Up 30 Percent

Emergency department visits for opioid overdoses rose 30 percent across the United States between July 2016 and September 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Opioid Crisis Is Surging In Black, Urban Communities

(NPR, March 8) The opioid epidemic that hit rural America hard is now spreading to urban areas.

Gen Z is getting a large portion of their opioid Rxs from an unlikely source, the dentist.

(Circa, March 8) About a third of patients between 10 and 19 years old (members of so-called Generation Z) are getting their opioid prescriptions from dentists, according to new guidelines for prescribing opioids.

FDA ramps up warnings about kratom, calling unregulated herb an 'opioid'

(The Washington Post, February 6) Last fall, the Food and Drug Administration issued an advisory about the deadly risks of the botanical substance kratom. 

Drugs, alcohol and suicides contribute to alarming drop in U.S. life expectancy

(USA Today, February 7) According to a recent report, life expectancy in the U.S. has dropped for the second year in a row. Drugs, alcohol and suicides are behind the decrease.

Cigarettes and pot linked to teen psychosis

(CNN, January 17) According to a recent study, the use of weed or tobacco cigarettes is connected to the increased risk of psychotic-like experiences, which could include hallucinations or delusions.