Harm reduction under political pressure, projected outcomes for people who inject drugs, methadone travel barriers, medetomidine withdrawal protocols, and ketamine and stimulant treatment coverage.

Dr. Jessica Gregg, FASAM, examines the distinction between harm reduction interventions and unsheltered encampments, and argues for evidence-based policies that address root causes of homelessness.

Psilocybin use and unmet mental health treatment needs, buprenorphine in the emergency department, postpartum overdose risk with MOUD, alcohol-associated liver disease medication trends, NLP in couples therapy, and cannabis and sleep

Cannabis use disorder rising among older adults, medetomidine withdrawal driving ICU admissions, opioid settlement fund oversight gaps, gambling comorbidity in SUD treatment, and the polygenic architecture of tobacco use disorder.

Cannabis use disorder rising in California adolescents post-legalization, cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome review, ADHD and elevated SUD risk, buprenorphine access and child welfare outcomes, and GLP-1 agonists for alcohol use disorder.

Buprenorphine discontinuation challenges with 1 in 3 prescriptions abandoned, fentanyl-stimulant co-use risks, opioid-sedative co-use patterns, oral nicotine pouch trends in adolescents, and FDA hearing on psychedelics.

Stimulant-only overdose deaths rising amid opioid decline, care navigation for methamphetamine use disorder, cannabis detected in 21% of overdose deaths, prescription cannabis use disorder, adolescent polysubstance co-use and dosing, Addiction Consult Services reducing readmissions, prenatal alcohol exposure and brain maturation, and youth substance use ED visits.

Fatal overdose isolation patterns from SUDORS 2022–2024, police drug market disruptions and overdose risk in San Francisco, medetomidine emergence in Philadelphia, methadone versus buprenorphine survival after nonfatal overdose, expanding alcohol screening to reduce premature mortality, unauthorized e-cigarette market dominance, and ADAPT for adolescent SUD treatment.

E-cigarette cessation recommendations for US clinicians, early buprenorphine initiation and hospital discharge outcomes, vending machine naloxone access post-incarceration, global OUD treatment and harm reduction survey, nonmedical gabapentin use patterns, and Meta's $18 billion social media addiction settlement.

Guest editorial on healing and connection in addiction medicine, plus semaglutide for AUD, HRV biosignatures for craving, THC and airway dysfunction, self-management programs for SUD, and nicotine vaping trends.

Dr. Jessica Gregg, FASAM, on the tension between patient volume and meaningful connection in addiction medicine, and why true healing requires communion.

Virtual SUD clinic implementation insights, epigenetic aging and substance use, cannabis hyperemesis syndrome trends, the SCOPE OUD risk calculator, and gambling disorder in older adults.

Guest editorial on street addiction medicine for opioid and stimulant use disorder in unhoused populations, naltrexone and bupropion mediators, and pain management in OUD treatment.

Dr. Katia Cnop of USC Street Medicine examines patient-centered approaches to opioid and stimulant use disorder care for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, including direct-to-inject buprenorphine protocols, stimulant use disorder treatment, and the barriers that street medicine programs are working to overcome.

Is there anything better than a brand-new federal dataset? The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released findings from the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and they do not disappoint. From fresh figures for our slides to encouraging drops in conditions such as alcohol use disorder (AUD) rates, this report gives us the clearest snapshot yet of the post-pandemic behavioral health landscape.

Methamphetamine use disorder remains a significant public health issue with high rates of morbidity and mortality and the absence of any United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments. Therefore, the original report from the NIDA Clinical Trials Network (CTN) ADAPT-2 trial was an important milestone, demonstrating that extended-release naltrexone plus bupropion outperformed placebo in adults with moderate to severe methamphetamine use disorder. Yet, overall improvement remained modest, with only 16.5% of participants meeting the initial treatment response threshold.

Methamphetamine use disorder remains a significant public health issue with high rates of morbidity and mortality and the absence of any United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments.

Alcohol is our lead this week, anchored by a compelling new study tracking "Trends in Alcohol-Related Deaths in the United States Over 55 Years." While recent 2020s data offered some encouraging signals regarding use and impact, this long-term analysis reveals that alcohol-related mortality has increased substantially over more than five decades, with specific demographics bearing a disproportionate burden.

Initiating buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD) in outpatient settings is more difficult for patients using fentanyl. There are research and published literature supporting this trend.

Explore how long-acting injectable buprenorphine (LAIB) provides a barrier-free way to initiate OUD treatment for patients using fentanyl.