Addiction News & Policy Update for Week Ending September 25, 2020

Carfentanil and the Rise and Fall of Overdose Deaths in the United States
It is widely believed that the 2018 decline in overdose deaths in the United States was attributable to a range of public health interventions; however, this decline also coincided with the regulation and decline in use of potent fentanyl analogs, especially carfentanil. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between overdose deaths and carfentanil availability in the United States.

One in 10 older dental patients inappropriately prescribed opioids
IA new study by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh suggests that a significant proportion of older patients receiving opioids at dental visits also use psychotropic medications -- a potentially harmful combination. Their findings are published in the journal Pharmacotherapy..

Vaping, marijuana use in 2019 rose in college-age adults
Vaping marijuana and vaping nicotine rose sharply in the past three years among college-age (19-22 years old) adults, according to 2019 survey results from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study.

Study Tackles Long-Term Opioid Use Among Retired NFL Players
Many former National Football League (NFL) players who took opioid painkillers early in their retirement still used them nine years later, a new study finds.

Could the pandemic change addiction medicine for the better?
For many Americans facing addiction, the pandemic has made life significantly harder. Across the country, overdoses have soared, with more than 40 states reporting increases in opioid-related mortality. But the coronavirus is also changing how addiction medicine can be provided, and some experts are saying that could be a silver lining in a devastating public health crisis.