Tag: United States

9/9/20--In 2020, 19.6% of high school students (3.02 million) and 4.7% of middle school students (550,000) reported current e-cigarette use. Among current e-cigarette users, 38.9% of high school students and 20.0% of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes on 20 or more of the past 30 days; 22.5% of high school users and 9.4% of middle school users reported daily use. Among all current e-cigarette users, 82.9% used flavored e-cigarettes, including 84.7% of high school users (2.53 million) and 73.9% of middle school users (400,000). Read

9/9/20--During September 2014–May 2020, e-cigarette sales increased by 122.2%. Sales of prefilled cartridges increased during September 2014–August 2019; since then, sales of disposable products have increased. Prefilled mint cartridge e-cigarette sales increased from September 2014 to August 2019, then decreased, as menthol sales increased during August 2019–May 2020. Read

9/10/20--May, June and July have been the worst months in B.C. history for drug overdoses, with approximately 526 dead — more than double the 213 British Columbians who have died from coronavirus. At present rates, B.C. will again pass 1,000 overdose-related deaths by December. Read

9/13/20--NSDUH’s latest annual report focuses on substance use and mental health in the United States based on NSDUH data from 2019 and earlier years. The annual report presents estimates that meet the criteria for statistical precision and facilitate stable examination of trends over time to study changes in society and emerging issues. Read

9/10/20--Although significant progress has been made since the creation of the initiative – Protect Kids: Fight Flavored E-Cigarettes led by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, youth e-cigarette use remains at epidemic levels and bold action is needed at all levels of government to prohibit flavored e-cigarettes and stop tobacco companies from addicting a new generation of kids. Read

9/10/20--Twitter is partnering with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a federal drug agency, to promote substance misuse treatment resources when users of the social media platform search for “marijuana” or certain other substance-related keywords—but no such health warning appears with results for alcohol-connected terms. Read

9/13/20--Many things remain uncertain as a new school year begins, but the proven, science-backed information on the risks of using e-cigarettes can protect the minds and lungs of youth from harm caused by e-cigarettes and nicotine, and keep them from starting to use these products in the first place. Read

9/13/20--The Centers for Disease Control presents quick facts on the risks of e-cigarettes for kids, teens, and young adults. Some of which include: The use of e-cigarettes is unsafe; most e-cigarettes contain nicotine; nicotine is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid-20s, and young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future. Read

9/13/20--Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service, VADM Jerome Adams, is emphasizing the importance of protecting children from a lifetime of nicotine addiction and associated health risks by immediately addressing the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use. The recent surge in e-cigarette use among youth, which has been fueled by new types of e-cigarettes that have recently entered the market, is a cause for great concern. Read

9/8/20--Rigorous empirical studies of the effect of a policy intervention seek to consider (or estimate) what outcomes are (or would be) with the policy compared with what outcomes are (or would be) without the policy. Read

9/3/20--A new study compares adolescent siblings to determine the impact of early and frequent use of marijuana on cognitive function. This study contrasts with previous studies by finding that moderate adolescent cannabis use may have adverse effects that cannot be explained by the genetic or environmental factors that siblings may have in common. Read

9/12/20--Vaping increases the risk of developing breast cancer, a new study suggests. According to scientists from a group of American universities, including Yale, Johns Hopkins and Princeton, exposure to e-cigarette vapor creates a 'tumor-promoting environment' in the breast and elsewhere in the body. Read

9/14/20--According to this report, the rapidly increasing use of e-cigarettes is currently outpacing the accumulation of evidence regarding its harms versus its benefits. These may be largely generational: the harms of addicting an entirely new generation to nicotine versus the immediate and long-term morbidity and mortality benefits to an older generation who may already be suffering the consequences of its own addiction. The FDA has the herculean task of sorting this out while protecting everyone. Read

10/28/20--This study provides the first robust scientific evidence to raise awareness regarding the risks of vaping. Read

9/11/20--This serial cross-sectional study using US mortality data from 2000 to 2017, including 1,446 ,177 drug poisoning, suicide, and alcohol-induced premature deaths found that demographic characteristics and geographic patterns varied by cause of death, suggesting that increasing death rates from these causes were not concentrated in 1 group or region. Specialized interventions tailored for the underlying drivers of each cause of death are urgently needed.. Read

9/14/20--Charlotte’s Web Holdings, a CBD manufacturer in Boulder, Colorado, lost $14.4 million last quarter as the coronavirus pandemic slowed retail sales and operating expenses rose 82% from the same period a year ago. The company announced a plan to reduce operating expenses by 10% by the end of 2020, without elaborating. Read

8/24/20--The California Assembly today delivered a resounding victory for kids and public health over the tobacco industry by voting, 58-1, to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-cigarettes, flavored cigars and menthol cigarettes. This bold action, in a state home to more than 10% of the U.S. population, cracks down on the products that have long been the tobacco industry’s most powerful weapons in targeting and hooking kids and the Black community. Read

8/20/20--Following the 2019 Monitoring the Future survey and the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey, the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is the third national survey to show that youth e-cigarette use skyrocketed between 2017 and 2019. The YRBS found that 32.7% of high school students were current e-cigarette users in 2019, up from 13.2% in 2017. Read

8/12/20--Across 30 major U.S. cities, an average of 63% of public schools are located within 1,000 feet – about two city blocks – of a tobacco retailer, according to a comprehensive new study mapping tobacco retailers in the 30 cities. The study was conducted by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis. Read

8/25/20--New Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™ Analysis finds that marijuana positivity climbed by double digits across nearly all employee testing categories, while opiate and heroin positivity decline. Additionally, analysis of more than nine million workplace drug test results showed cocaine and methamphetamine positivity surges in Midwest. Read

8/26/20--Massachusetts-based Curaleaf has become one of the largest multistate cannabis operators in the United States by adopting a broad-market approach – with scores of cultivation, processing and dispensary facilities now stretching across 23 states. Read

9/1/20--With the recent legalization of cannabis there are more cannabis products available to consumers today than ever before. However, little is known about the relation of distinct modes of use to cannabis-related risks. The current study estimated the prevalence of different modes of use among a sample of university students, and quantified the magnitude of association between modes of use (type and number) and cannabis-related risks. Read

8/19/20--As Puff Bar’s popularity has grown, so have many questions and concerns about the product and the company behind it. Puff Bar should never have been sold because it is illegal for any tobacco product that wasn’t on the market before August 2016 to begin sales. Still, Puff Bar appeared on the market in 2019 and raked in profits before the Food and Drug Administration took enforcement action. Read  

8/27/20--A new analysis of cannabis research funding in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom has found that $1.56 billion was directed to the topic between 2000 and 2018—with about half of the money spent on understanding the potential harms of the recreational drug. Read

8/27/20--"One day at a time” is a mantra for recovering alcoholics, for whom each day without a drink builds the strength to go on to the next. A new brain imaging study by Yale researchers shows why the approach works. Read

8/28/20--A new study published reveals that three-quarters of participants in an inpatient addiction intervention program came into the hospital using more than one substance. The findings suggests that a singular focus on opioids may do more harm than good if doctors overlook the complexity of each individual's actual substance use. Read

8/25/20--A study used the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ National Poison Data System (NPDS), January 1, 2009–December 31, 2019, to examine 5201 cases aged 50+ in which cannabis was the only or primary substance. Although poison control center (PCC) cannabis cases involving older adults are relatively few, cases of other cannabis preparations than plant forms increased rapidly in recent years while cases of synthetic cannabinoids decreased. The rate of major medical outcomes also appears to be high. Read

8/25/20--Accidental pediatric cannabis poisonings are an incidental effect of cannabis use. The average THC content of cannabis resin and the number of consumers are rising sharply in the USA and in most European countries. The results of a study with an objective is to examine the evolution of prevalence and severity of pediatric exposures to cannabis in France indicates a significant increase in the number of cases of pediatric exposure to cannabis and a rise in the seriousness of poisonings between 2010 and 2017. Read

8/29/20--A few start-ups and niche firms are developing small molecules that are inspired by CBD and other natural products from cannabis plants as potential drugs for a wide array of diseases. Human clinical trials are underway or just wrapping up for some of these drug candidates, while others are still in research or preclinical stages. Read

8/29/20--A recreational marijuana legalization ballot measure in Arizona got the final go-ahead, while a medical cannabis legalization initiative in Nebraska is fighting to keep its place on the November ballot. And, the addition of edibles to Florida’s medical marijuana market became formal under state health department rules. Read

 

8/24/20--In an editorial published in the Washington Examiner written by Kyle Reynolds, an Indiana University correspondent for Campus Reform, he candidly expresses his views on how disconcerting it is that the Democratic Party is moving with such force to decriminalize and legalize marijuana. Read

9/1/20--Big Pot is pushing hard for Congress to hold a full vote on the MORE Act, a bill to federally legalize and commercialize marijuana under the auspices of social justice. SAM is urging the public to tell representatives in Congress that moving the MORE Act is unacceptable. Read

7/23/20--In a new commentary published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, a group of leading tobacco control experts called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require tobacco companies to submit research showing the impact on youth and young adults in the United States before authorizing the marketing of any new tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, or permitting any claim that states or implies a tobacco product is less harmful than any other tobacco product. Read

7/30/20--Juul Labs Inc submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that would allow it to keep selling e-cigarettes, which face heightened scrutiny over a surge in teenage vaping. Once an application is submitted, companies can keep selling their products for a year from the date of deadline, without official approval, or until a negative action is taken by the FDA. Read

 

7/29/20--There can be serious consequences to vaping, so why do so many teens continue to do it? In this episode, Grace Wang and Mia Goldstein talk to teens about addiction. Read

7/22/20--Based on the first study to look at the role of high-fructose corn syrup - the main ingredient in most coolers - a University of Guelph professor suggests that these sweetened beverages can actually promote harmful alcohol consumption, according to University of Guelph psychology professor Francesco Leri. Read

7/31/20--Theory-based and evidence-informed resources created by educators, parents, and researchers aimed at preventing middle and high school students’ use of tobacco and nicotine. Read

7/31/20--A new class action lawsuit against Oregon cannabis company Cura CS LLC seeks more than $10M over claims that its Select Elite vape cartridges contained much less THC than labeled. Read

7/31/20--The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Epidiolex (cannabidiol) oral solution for the treatment of seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in patients one year of age and older. Epidiolex was previously approved for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndrome (DS). Read

8/15/20--Data from this nationally representative study suggest potential anti-inflammatory effects of recent cannabis use. Additional studies that biologically measure the THC and CBD concentrations of the cannabis used and employ prospective and or experimental study designs investigate cannabis and inflammation associations are needed. Read

8/14/20--Continuous surveillance of marijuana use in the perinatal period can inform clinical guidance, provider and patient education, and public health programs to support evidence-based approaches to addressing substance use. Yet, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend refraining from marijuana use during pregnancy and lactation because evidence on safety and health effects are inconclusive or insufficient. Read

8/6/20--The Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) issued a public health and safety bulletin today, notifying the public of a marijuana product recall of contaminated “pre-rolls” from retail outlets located in Bay City, Hazel Park, Detroit, Traverse City, Ann Arbor, Lansing, River Rouge, Ferndale, Quincy, Lowell, Negaunee, and Lapeer. In addition, the MRA stipulated and agreed to a 14-day suspension of the medical and adult-use processor licenses of 3843 Euclid LLC in Bay City, pending further MRA investigation. Read

8/6/20--A Fitchburg marijuana company, Revolutionary Clinics, will pay Massachusetts $120,000 to settle charges it sold vaporizers containing excessive levels of ethanol to six other dispensaries, which then sold dozens of the tainted devices to consumers. The Cannabis Control Commission voted unanimously to approve the fine and impose a four-month probation for the company over various violations related to the wholesale vape transactions, which occurred from December 2018 to early 2019. Read

8/7/20--In this study, scientists aimed to overview the recent available literature regarding in vivo potential of natural and synthetic cannabinoids with underlying mechanisms of action for protecting against cognitive decline and motor impairments. Read

8/7/20--This serial cross-sectional study estimates menthol and nonmenthol cigarette consumption from 2000 to 2018 with a previously used approach. Results indicate that the large decline in cigarette consumption in the US over the last 2 decades is overwhelmingly attributed to nonmenthol cigarettes, and this trend is more pronounced since the signing of the TCA. Read

8/6/20--In a new position paper, the European Association of Preventive Cardiology recommended that due to known CV harms from e-cigarettes, they should not be used for smoking cessation except as a last resort. Read

8/7/20--This is the fourth in a series of reports that reviews the effects of cannabis use on various aspects of human functioning and development. This report on the respiratory and cardiovascular effects of cannabis smoking provides an update of a previous report with new research findings that validate and extend our current understanding of this issue. Read

8/7/20--Consumers in Massachusetts may soon notice an unfamiliar warning sticker on their marijuana vapes: “This product was previously quarantined. Passed retesting for heavy metals and Vitamin E Acetate.” Actually, more than 619,000 vapes were sitting in vaults at cannabis facilities across the state since September, when Governor Charlie Baker temporarily banned the devices in an effort to combat an outbreak of vaping-related lung illnesses. Read

8/10/20--According to a report from The Pew Charitable Trusts, with more states considering legalizing marijuana, forecasting and budgeting difficulties for revenue from recreational marijuana taxes are likely to become widespread. These challenges have consequences: If tax collections come in below forecasted amounts, for example, programs that are funded by these dollars could suffer. Read

8/5/20--The American Heart Association has published a new scientific statement warning that cannabis (“marijuana”) is not without health risks — and that some of them may be ‘substantial.’ The advisory comes at a time when a number of states and countries have legalized cannabis to various degrees, offering the opportunity to study the drug and its potential health benefits and downsides. Read

8/10/20--The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) recently unveiled a framework to federally decriminalize all illicit drugs that they hope will be embraced by Congress. This leading drug policy reform group said ending the drug war will help address racial disparities in the criminal justice system and promote public health. The proposal is being rolled out ahead of the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Controlled Substances Act, the legislative basis of today’s federal drug criminalization. Read

8/10/20--As state and local governments adjust to the changing landscape of drug use, the National Governors Association will assist 10 states in developing and executing action plans to improve data collection and standardization efforts related to impaired driving. The states selected are: Colorado, Connecticut, Hawai‘i, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming. Read

7/27/20--Canopy Growth Corporation, a world-leading diversified cannabis, hemp, and cannabis device company, today announced the launch of its new U.S. e-commerce website that will serves as the online home for Canopy Growth’s growing portfolio of U.S. hempderived CBD product lines, and a one-stop shop for over 25 products. Read

8/3/20--Cannabinoid-containing products may alter the effects of some prescription drugs, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. They published information that could help medical professionals make safe prescribing choices for their patients who use prescription, over-the-counter or illicit cannabinoid products. Read

8/5/20--Marijuana use could hurt the heart and blood vessels, according to a report that found no cardiovascular benefits to cannabis use and called for more research of the drug that is growing in popularity. Observational studies have linked the chemicals in marijuana to an increased risk of heart attacks, heart failure and a heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation, according to the report. Read

7/29/20--Until very recently, no companies would manufacture medical-grade psychedelics, which made getting regulatory approval for clinical research—especially clinical trials—very difficult and in some countries (eg, Germany) impossible. Read

7/28/20--In the first randomised clinical trial of cannabidiol for cannabis use disorder, cannabidiol 400 mg and 800 mg were safe and more efficacious than placebo at reducing cannabis use. Read