Marijuana use at historic highs among college-age adults

Newly released Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey data on drug use in college-age adults ages 19-22 shows an increase in marijuana use in the past five years, including vaping with marijuana, as well as a significant increase in nicotine vaping. The survey is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National … Read more

Strategies to manage surgical pain

Because addiction to pain pills often starts with an operation, surgeons are shifting to non-opioid approaches for pain control. Many people who are struggling with opioid addiction didn’t start taking the drugs at a party or at a friend’s house. They were introduced to these painkilling medications by their doctor after a surgical procedure. In … Read more

STATE INVESTIGATES VAPING’S CONNECTION TO LUNG DISEASE

Reports of severe disease in 15 young e-cigarette users in New Jersey, more than 200 nationwide, lead to alarm among healthcare officials Credit: Krystian Graba/Pixabay State and local officials in New Jersey are grappling with reports of severe lung disease in 15 relatively young patients with a history of e-cigarette use, part of a growing … Read more

Professional Fall Conference

Please save the date for our annual Professional Fall Conference on 10/30/2020 at Raritan Valley Community College Details TBA https://www.facebook.com/events/218045199212144/

Vaping Illnesses: protect yourself by avoiding THC filled vapes

Consumers are likely aware of the recent reports of respiratory illnesses – including some resulting in deaths – following the use of vaping products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) remains deeply concerned about these incidents and is working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state … Read more

Prescription opioid use among seniors

Nationwide and locally, marked attention is given to the “opiate challenge,” which is a serious public health problem, an epidemic. With regard to seniors, concerns focus on (1) high rates of narcotic analgesic use, (2) cautious approaches to pain management, and (3) storage and disposal of these drugs (e.g. preventing medications from being taken by … Read more

JUUL has entered the school system

(CNN)Juul spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund youth programming, efforts that a company employee said “seem to duplicate those of big tobacco,” according to internal emails, memos and contracts released as part of a congressional investigation into the company. Democratic members of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy presented the … Read more