Drug and alcohol dependence
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Feb 2021
Prevalence and minority-stress correlates of past 12-month prescription drug misuse in a national sample of transgender and gender nonbinary adults: Results from the U.S. Transgender Survey.
Prescription drug (PD) misuse, particularly opioid misuse, is a major US public health concern. While transgender and gender nonbinary (TGNB) individuals experience numerous health disparities, including substance use disparities, little research has focused on PD misuse in this population. ⋯ In this national sample of TGNB individuals, nonbinary individuals were at greater risk for PD misuse than binary individuals, possibly due to less societal affirmation. Similar to other TGNB health disparities, discrimination based on gender identity/expression was associated with PD misuse. This highlights the importance of interventions to reduce discrimination against TGNB individuals.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Feb 2021
A preliminary examination of the multiple dimensions of opioid craving.
Although craving is a formal DSM-5 criterion and a commonly reported feature of opioid use disorder (OUD), there is no universally accepted assessment of opioid craving for treatment outcome studies or clinical trials. This mixed-methods study characterized dimensions of opioid craving identified in qualitative responses collected via Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). ⋯ There is a wide range of dimensions that were used to describe opioid craving and no single unifying dimension was identified. These data suggest opioid craving is a multidimensional construct including dimensions currently not included in common craving assessments.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Feb 2021
Factors associated with health-related cannabis use intentions among a community sample of people who inject drugs in Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA 2016 to 2018.
Cannabis motivations have been studied extensively among patients of medicinal cannabis dispensaries, but less is known about motivations in community samples of opioid-using people who inject drugs. Our objective is to describe cannabis use motivations associated with self-treatment of physical pain, emotional issues, and as an opioid substitute. ⋯ People who inject drugs reported using cannabis for health-related motivations. This motivation aligns with health needs and suggests the acceptability of cannabis use for health reasons in this population. Studies to determine the medical effectiveness of cannabis products for these common health and mental health needs among people who inject drugs are needed.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Feb 2021
Cannabis use is associated with reduced risk of exposure to fentanyl among people on opioid agonist therapy during a community-wide overdose crisis.
The ongoing opioid overdose crisis is driven largely by exposure to illicitly-manufactured fentanyl. Preliminary observational and experimental research suggests that cannabis could potentially play a role in reducing use of prescription opioids among individuals with chronic pain. However, there is limited data on the effects of cannabis on illicit opioid consumption, particularly fentanyl, especially among individuals on opioid agonist therapy (OAT). We sought to assess the longitudinal association between cannabis use and exposure to fentanyl among people on OAT. ⋯ Participants on OAT using cannabis had significantly lower risk of being exposed to fentanyl. Our findings reinforce the need for experimental trials to investigate the potential benefits and risks of controlled cannabinoid administration for people on OAT.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Feb 2021
Trends in various e-cigarette devices used by high school adolescents from 2017-2019.
Adolescent e-cigarette use has increased recently; however, little is known about trends in use of specific devices by youth. This study aims to 1) compare rates of e-cigarette device use over time, 2) examine changes in frequency of device use, and 3) identify predictors of device use. ⋯ From 2017-2019, JUUL, disposable/cig-a-like, and vape pens increased in popularity and were used frequently. Tobacco regulations designed to reduce youth use should consider various device types.