It takes big data to tackle some of the biggest issues in addiction. Cannabis use rates have been rising in recent years and a new study leveraging data from the largest integrated health care system in the US (the VA) has found that cannabis use disorder (CUD) rates have more than doubled among veterans. Unfortunately, increases were disproportionately found among veterans with psychiatric disorders, especially those with the most severe diagnoses such as bipolar and psychotic spectrum disorders (American Journal of Psychiatry).

The field of addiction medicine has been working hard to raise awareness about the disease and its treatments. A new study from NIDA researchers is doing so because of unfortunate findings: overdose deaths rose significantly for pregnant and postpartum women across demographic groups and in areas with adequate health care access, underscoring how stigma and punitive policies are still discouraging treatment (JAMA Psychiatry).

SAMHSA recently released results from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). While further analysis of the data is expected to follow, many of our featured publications this week provide important context for the numbers.

If you're a little apprehensive this year about having awkward or even anxiety-provoking Thanksgiving conversations, then we’ve got you covered.

How we frame the problem significantly impacts individuals with addiction. A global review of legislative approaches toward gambling demonstrates how some countries are still warming to a systemic, public health approach while many are mostly focused on vulnerable individuals and promoting responsible gambling (Lancet Public Health).

As we presented last week, ASAM provides expert guidance for the field of addiction medicine. Today, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) published the Clinical Practice Guideline on the Management of Stimulant Use Disorder.

If you haven’t recently explored the ASAM website, this week’s publications may be a good motivation to do so.

Stuff happens as we move substance use along the spectrum between criminalization and commercialization.

There’s something remarkable about identifying a common brain network underlying substance use disorders (Nature Mental Health). This commonality was not a given -- the results could have gone the other way -- but its existence is reassuring for how it unifies the disorders of addiction.

A study from New York has found that increasing temperatures are associated with increased hospital visits related to alcohol and substance use (Communications Medicine)...

Tucked within social determinants of health are commercial determinants which have a particular interest in “addictiveness.” This is clearly evident in the lead article demonstrating how tobacco companies shifted the US food industry towards hyperpalatability beginning in the 1980s (Addiction).

Both the RAND Corporation and SAMHSA recently released reports providing broad perspectives on addiction in America. At over 600 pages, “America’s Opioid Ecosystem” (RAND) is a comprehensive review of the dynamic systems and issues underlying not only America’s opioid crisis but the entire addiction ecosystem.

This week we showcase publications from leading journals across the scientific fields. In a way, this mirrors the diversity of specialists in clinical settings and beyond who collaborate to treat addiction.

Prevalence of Cannabis Use Disorder and Reasons for Use Among Adults.

Examining sociodemographic correlates of opioid use, misuse, and use disorders in the All of Us Research Program

Marijuana and hallucinogen use, binge drinking reached historic highs among adults 35 to 50

Perceptions of Safety of Daily Cannabis vs Tobacco Smoking and Secondhand Smoke Exposure, 2017-2021

The Future of Addiction Treatment Lies in Narrowing the Treatment Gap

In the time of the worst overdose crisis in American history, those of us who work in the field of addiction medicine have the responsibility of bringing treatment to where patients with addiction are. The addiction treatment gap refers to the approximately 94% of people with one or more DSM-5 defined substance use disorders (SUDs) who did not receive any addiction treatment (according to the SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) conducted in 2021).

ASAM Clinical Considerations: Buprenorphine Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder