Illegal Drugs News

December 23, 2024

Top Headlines

Perceptions of Parent Cannabis Use Shape Teen Attitudes

Dec. 4, 2024 — Teens who think their parents use cannabis are more likely to hold favorable attitudes toward the drug and to consider trying it themselves, according to a new study. The research also reveals that parental monitoring and the closeness of ...

Rats on Cocaine: When Aversion Is Not Enough

Dec. 3, 2024 — Propensity to addiction starts with the very first drug use experience, a new study ...

Exposure to Marijuana in the Womb May Increase Risk of Addiction to Opioids Later in Life, Study Finds

Nov. 14, 2024 — Evidence has been growing to suggest that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, poses risks to the developing fetus by impacting brain development. Now a new ...

'Sleepy Cannabis': Cannabinol Increases Sleep, Study Suggests

Nov. 11, 2024 — Research shows that a non-hallucinogenic marijuana constituent increases both REM and non-REM sleep in rats. Human trials are now under ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:30pm EST

Reducing Risk of Opioid Addiction While Alleviating Pain

Dec. 2, 2024 — Increasing the levels of chemicals naturally produced in the body called endocannabinoids may thwart the highly addictive nature of opioids such as morphine and oxycodone while maintaining the drugs' ...

The Dangerous Pursuit of Muscularity in Men and Adolescent Boys

Oct. 30, 2024 — Men and adolescent boys are increasingly at risk of resorting to the dangerous use of anabolic steroids in a bid to achieve the desired muscular build modeled on social media, warn body image ...

Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Can Impact Thinking and Learning Skills, Increase Aggression Among Children, Study Shows

Oct. 28, 2024 — As cannabis is legalized and is more accessible in various forms across the country, there is increasing concern among health care providers about ...

Cannabis Use in Adolescence: Visible Effects on Brain Structure

Oct. 23, 2024 — A collaborative study sheds light on how cannabis use affects brain development in young people, the main one being atrophy of certain regions of the cerebral ...

High Potency Cannabis Use Leaves Unique Signature on DNA, Study Shows

Oct. 16, 2024 — A new study suggests that the use of high potency cannabis leaves a distinct mark on DNA, providing valuable insights into the biological impact of cannabis ...

Clinical Trial Shows Synthetic Cannabis Reduces Agitation in Alzheimer's Disease

Oct. 2, 2024 — Researchers show that a pill form of the drug dronabinol, an FDA-approved synthetic version of marijuana's main ingredient, THC, reduces agitation in ...

Chronic Pain Patients Are More Supportive of Cannabis Access Than Doctors

Oct. 2, 2024 — A study reveals a gap between patient and physician attitudes on medical marijuana ...

Cognitive Deficits from Meth and PCP Use Are Generated by a Common Neurotransmitter Switch

Sep. 26, 2024 — The effects of sustained drug abuse can manifest in many ways. Loss of memory and reduced cognitive functions are some of the effects that can ...

Compound in Rosemary Extract Can Reduce Cocaine Sensitivity

Aug. 20, 2024 — A team of researchers has discovered that an antioxidant found in rosemary extract can reduce volitional intakes of cocaine by moderating the brain's reward response, offering a new therapeutic ...

Less Sleep and Later Bedtime in Childhood Linked to Future Substance Use

Aug. 13, 2024 — Adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they had later bedtimes and slept fewer hours during the night during childhood and adolescence, according to a ...

How Next-Day Responsibilities Influence Cannabis Use

Nov. 15, 2024 — A study found that people are less likely to consume cannabis if they had an upcoming activity, which is consistent with other studies, and would reduce use the most for job interviews and caring for ...

Nearly 6 Percent of Pregnant Women Report Marijuana Use, U.S. Study Finds

Oct. 30, 2024 — A new study, using responses from the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, has found that about 6 percent of pregnant women reported using marijuana during the last month, and many did not ...

Researchers Show Why Cannabis Policies Should Shift to a Harm Reduction, Health Promotion Approach to Safeguard Public Health

Oct. 23, 2024 — A new paper explains why there needs to be a shift in cannabis policies to a public health approach as opposed to the prevailing, more punitive approach that pushes abstinence instead of public ...

Methamphetamine-Involved Psychiatric Hospitalizations Have Increased, Study Says

Aug. 16, 2024 — A new study that details trends among psychiatric hospitalizations between 2015-2019 finds that while most hospitalizations did not involve any substances, methamphetamine-related hospitalizations ...

Cocaine Discovery Could Pave Way for Treatment for Substance Abuse

Aug. 7, 2024 — Cocaine binds to a specific transporter in the brain that is responsible for regulating dopamine levels. Researchers have studied and described the process, producing new knowledge that may bring us ...

Cannabinoid CBG Reduces Anxiety and Stress in First Human Clinical Trial

July 31, 2024 — A lesser-known cannabinoid that is gaining in popularity Cannabigerol (CBG) effectively reduced anxiety in a clinical trial without the intoxication typically associated with whole plant cannabis. It ...

Last Decade Saw Big Decrease in Teens Who Used Commonly Prescribed and Misused Prescription Drugs

July 25, 2024 — Since 2009, U.S. high school seniors have reported steep declines in medical use, misuse and availability of the three most commonly prescribed and misused controlled substances for teens, a new ...

Researchers Find Biological Clues to Mental Health Impacts of Prenatal Cannabis Exposure

July 5, 2024 — Researchers outline some of the intermediate biological steps that could play into how prenatal cannabis exposure leads to behavioral issues down the ...

Could Taking Certain Drugs Reduce Risk of Ruptured Brain Aneurysm?

June 5, 2024 — A new study suggests that people who take a few common drugs may have a decreased risk of having a bleeding stroke due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. The results do not prove that these drugs reduce ...

Myelination in the Brain May Be Key to 'Learning' Opioid Addiction

June 5, 2024 — Scientists have found that the process of adaptive myelination, which helps the brain learn new skills, can also promote addiction to ...

Cannabis Use Common Among Patients, With Most Using It to Manage a Symptom or Health Condition

June 5, 2024 — Nearly one in six patients in primary care reported cannabis use, with 35% of those using at levels indicating moderate- to high-risk use disorder. The findings indicate the need for routine cannabis ...

Tiny Worm Helps Uncover Long-Lasting Prenatal Effects from Amphetamines

May 30, 2024 — During pregnancy, the effects of therapeutical doses of amphetamine have been investigated on birth outcomes in humans. However, a thorough investigation of the mechanisms underlying the long-term ...

New Study Highlights Significant Increases in Cannabis Use in United States

May 23, 2024 — A new study assessed cannabis use in the United States between 1979 and 2022, finding that a growing share of cannabis consumers report daily or near-daily use and that their numbers now exceed those ...

THC Lingers in Breastmilk With No Clear Peak Point

May 8, 2024 — When breastfeeding mothers in a recent study used cannabis, its psychoactive component THC showed up in the milk they produced. The research also found that, unlike alcohol, when THC was detected in ...

A Common Pathway in the Brain That Enables Addictive Drugs to Hijack Natural Reward Processing

Apr. 18, 2024 — Researchers have uncovered a mechanism in the brain that allows cocaine and morphine to take over natural reward processing ...

Chemical Found Naturally in Cannabis May Reduce Anxiety-Inducing Effects of THC, Researchers Show

Apr. 10, 2024 — New research adds to evidence that a chemical found naturally in cannabis can -- in the right amounts -- lessen the anxiety-inducing effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ...

Crackdown on Illicit Drugs Detects Rise in 'Designer' Drug Substitutes

Mar. 25, 2024 — As authorities crack down on illicit drugs, experts have issued an alert on the use of the synthetic stimulant pentylone, as new research finds a 75% increase in detections across ...

Delta-8-THC Use Reported by 11% of 12th Graders in 2023

Mar. 12, 2024 — Approximately 11% of 12th-grade students across the United States reported past-year use of delta-8- tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8-THC, or delta-8 for short), according to an analysis of data from ...

'Study Drugs' Set the Stage for Other Drug Use and Mental Health Decline

Mar. 11, 2024 — Taking 'study drugs' like Adderall without a diagnosis is not only dangerous in itself, but can lead to other drug use and a decline in mental health, according to new ...

Continued Cocaine Use Disrupts Communication Between Major Brain Networks

Feb. 28, 2024 — New research provides new insights into the brain processes underlying cocaine addiction. The findings are crucial for developing new therapeutics and identifying an imaging marker for cocaine use ...