Research You Can Use

Trends in Drug Related Hospitalisations (Aust 1999-2020) Cannabinoid Related Hospitalisations – Biggest Increase: In 2019-20, there were 6,427 cannabinoid-related hospitalisations (including cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids), which equates to an age-standardised rate of 26 hospitalisations per 100,000 people. This is the highest rate recorded over the course of monitoring and is more than double the rate […]

Significant changes include: The per cent reporting any use of cocaine in the past six months increased significantly from 68 per cent in 2020 to 80 per cent in 2021, the highest per cent observed since monitoring began, although frequency of use remains low. The per cent reporting any use of ecstasy capsules in the

Drug involvement at the most recent FDV (Family/Domestic Violence) incident was also associated with over twice the odds of injury and significantly greater negative life impact. The findings that drug use increases both the risk for and impact of FDV indicate the need for policy that advocates for interventions addressing both drug use and violence

Results of Major Study on Impact of Microdosing Published Researchers from Imperial College London have carried out the largest placebo-controlled trial into psychedelics to date and found that small doses of LSD boost the psychology of users in a manner of ways. However, when the researchers examined what trial volunteers took, they found placebos worked

This popular claim lacks evidence and leads to poor policy. The notion that drug addiction is a brain disease has become axiomatic. Around the globe aspiring health professionals treating substance abuse are indoctrinated with this belief, especially after the idea became popular in the 1990s. Its popularity extends far beyond the hallowed halls of academia.

Cocaine’s effects on the heart can cause both immediate emergencies, such as a heart attack, and long-term damage. Cocaine’s effects on the heart can cause both immediate emergencies, such as a heart attack, and long-term damage. Regular, long-term cocaine use significantly increases the risk of heart disease. For people with pre-existing heart health problems, even short-term cocaine

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In recent decades the range and patterns of opioids used for extra-medical purposes have changed. The use of pharmaceutical opioids exceeds the use of heroin. In 2017, 63 percent of opioid deaths were attributed exclusively to pharmaceutical opioids, 28 percent to illicit opioids and 8 percent to both illicit and pharmaceutical opioids (aged 15-64 years).

As of January 7, 2020, a total of 2558 hospitalized patients with nonfatal cases and 60 patients with fatal cases of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use–associated lung injury (EVALI) had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CONCLUSIONS: Chronic conditions, including cardiac and respiratory diseases and mental health conditions, were common among

Soaring rates of vaping among young people and associated problems have resulted in great urgency and important challenges for policymakers. Despite the urgency, policies should be evidence-based and thoughtfully designed. They require effective, collaborative, and well-funded enforcement by federal and state governments. Policymakers should aim to reduce vaping among young people while maintaining avenues to