Readable research linked to original sources
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Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
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Readable research linked to original sources
Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
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Readable research linked to original sources
Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
87 articles
Newest firstBACKGROUND: Determining health information quality on online drug platforms is crucial for revealing and shaping substance use practices. The study aims to assess the scope and quality of health-related information on the largest Polish drug forum, Hyperreal. Ultimately, the goal was to explore how the case of Hyperreal illustrates user-driven knowledge construction around drug use and its potential implications f…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Population data on cannabis use-beyond prevalence and frequency of use-in the UK is lacking, yet needed to inform harm reduction messaging about cannabis. This study examined (a) recreational and medical cannabis use; (b) cannabis product use; (c) cannabis risk perceptions via three different routes of administration; (d) how product use and risk perceptions vary by reasons for use and higher risk use.…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Two-thirds of adults in the United States (U.S.) find recreational and medical cannabis use acceptable. Evidence shows that cannabis use is an effective treatment for pain, and as a harm reducing therapeutic for Substance Use Disorder (SUD). In contrast to most SUD treatment models, some models allow illegal substance use as a harm reduction strategy, which is the case for the SUD treatment program exam…
Objective Alcohol and cannabis co-use is the most common form of polysubstance use in the U.S. Some evidence suggests that there is an association between cannabis use and reduced alcohol consumption, however data on this topic are mixed. Further research is needed to elucidate the individual factors that determine whether cannabis substitutes for alcohol. Method This study is an exploratory analysis of data from…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Stigma experienced by individuals with cannabis use disorder (CUD) has been identified as a significant impediment to their engagement with treatment programs. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of sociodemographic factors and familiarity with cannabis on stigmatizing attributions towards adolescent and adult case vignettes of people affected by CUD. Method A quota sampling web survey…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are prevalent in prisons and among people who experience homelessness in the UK and can cause serious harms to people who use them. While it is currently not possible to test for SCs at the point of care (POC), a new method for doing so using fluorescence spectral fingerprinting has recently been developed. In this study, we aimed to outline the potential utility of POC SC t…
Background The use of psychedelics is currently increasing in the United States. Awareness of clinical trials investigating the therapeutic applications of psychedelics may result in a record number of people who use psychedelics for the first-time. This study aimed to develop a harm-reduction resource to facilitate safe and successful psychedelic experiences outside of regulated clinical and research settings. We…
Background The objective of this qualitative study was to better understand the experiences of individuals living with opioid use disorder (OUD) and chronic pain using medical cannabis (MC) for 12 months. Methods Perspectives were captured via 10 key informant interviews conducted after 12 months of treatment with MC RESULTS: Key themes identified regarding the reasons for initially pursuing MC included: (1) canna…
Background Drug overdoses are a significant public health concern, but there is limited research on the associated factors among patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED). We investigated the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with drug overdoses among patients with substance-related diagnoses (SRD) in a Southern California healthcare system's ED. Methods A cross-sectional study em…
Open article record in new tab ↗Harm reduction (HR) services are developing in Africa. In Senegal, the overall HR service coverage ratio is one WUD for every 10 men. By analysing gender-specific initiatives developed by HR stakeholders and evaluating their limitations, we explored HR in Senegal through a gender lens to better understand how to meet the specific needs of WWUD. The data for this study were collected through interviews, observation…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Since late 2019, fortification of 'regular' cannabis plant material with synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) has become a notable phenomenon on the drug market. As many SCRAs pose a higher health risk than genuine cannabis, recognizing SCRA-adulterated cannabis is important from a harm reduction perspective. However, this is not always an easy task as adulterated cannabis may only be disting…
Objectives Research regarding the contribution of specific psychoactive substances to suicidality has yielded equivocal results. The present study examined the prevalence and factors associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors among a population-based sample of untreated illicit substance users. Methods A total of 616 illicit substance users who were recruited from high-risk areas of Shiraz using snowball samp…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Recovery from addiction is frequently equated with abstinence. However, some individuals who resolve an addiction continue to use substances, including via substitution (i.e., increased use of one substance after eliminating/ reducing another). Substitution may play a distinct role during early recovery (≤ 1 year), as this period is marked by dramatic change and adjustment. Cannabis is one of the most u…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) often have concurrent use of non-opioid substances. When patients enter opioid maintenance treatment (OMT), less is known about outcomes regarding the use of other types of drugs. Here we aimed to investigate changes in substance use among patients entering outpatient OMT, from treatment initiation to 1-year follow-up. Methods We used data from the prospective…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Cannabidiol (CBD) is a widely available cannabis product with many claims as to potential health benefits including alleviating symptoms related to opioid use disorder (OUD). However, little is known as to how individuals with OUD perceive CBD, to what extent they may already be using CBD, and for what purposes. Methods A survey was conducted among individuals receiving treatment for OUD at the Addictio…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Medical cannabis use and public acceptance in the United States have increased over the past 25 years. However, access to medical cannabis remains limited, particularly for underserved populations. To understand how patients experience medical cannabis accessibility, we measured medical cannabis use and barriers to use after medical cannabis certification in an urban safety-net academic medical center.…
Background Lebanon remains as one of the major sources of cannabis worldwide. In 2020, its government passed a legislation enabling the cultivation of local medicinal cannabis. This first study following the legislative change examines the overlapping use of cannabis for recreational/medicinal purposes and characteristics of the distinct cannabis user types. Methods A total of 1230 young adults (18-24 years) fille…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Cannabis was legalised for medical purposes in 2016. Uptake was initially slow, but since 2019 there has been a large increase in the number of Australians who have been prescribed cannabis for medical reasons. Yet a significant number of consumers continue to treat their medical conditions via illicitly-sourced cannabis. Little is known about how these two groups of medical cannabis consumers differ. M…
Background Cannabis use before the COVID-19 pandemic for many involved sharing prepared cannabis for inhalation, practices that were less prevalent during the pandemic. State-level COVID-19 containment policies may have influenced this decrease. This study examined the extent to which the intensity of state-level COVID-19 policies were associated with individual-level cannabis sharing. Findings have the potential…
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