EMERGING SUBSTANCES OF ABUSE
● Fentanyl remains the most lethal drug in many NDEWS sites. ● Increase in opioid-related overdose deaths occurred in several sites. During 2020, the United States faced two public health emergencies. The combination of the opioid crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the availability of drugs and the availability of resources for individuals struggling with substance use. According to the NDEWS, there was a 17.6% increase in reports of drug overdoses between May 2019 and May 2020. There is ongoing research being conducted related to the COVID-19 pandemic and drug use and overdoses as there are a variety of factors that could impact what is happening at the local level.
New drug and drug-use trends often occur without notice. The National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) watches and publishes trends as soon as they are identified (NIDA, 2020). The NDEWS, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, provides a yearly report that highlights 18 sentinel community sites and describes and compares drug use patterns and trends across the United States. The NDEWS was created in 2014 and has provided data yearly to assist communities in understanding the shift in trends. The four primary trends found in the NDEWS 2021 report included the following: ● Polysubstance use played a prominent role in drug overdose deaths. ● Increase in methamphetamine-related overdose deaths was reported at several sites. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought more challenges to individuals’ health both physically and mentally. Researchers have observed and statistics support that there has been an increase in drug overdose deaths as well as first time users of substances (NDEWS, 2020; NIDA, 2021c). In addition, individuals who are fully vaccinated with substance use disorders have an increased risk of COVID-19 breakthrough infections. These breakthrough infections reported by Wang et al. (2021) may be related to the individual’s compromised immune status and a greater incidence of exposures to populations who are ill with the virus. The study concluded that individuals who were fully vaccinated and used substances were at a significantly higher risk of a COVID-19 breakthrough infection because of their comorbidities and adverse socioeconomic determinants.
COVID-19 AND SUBSTANCE USE
Subsequently, these individuals are at a greater risk of hospitalization and death because of the breakthrough infection (Wang et al., 2021). Self-Assessment Quiz Question #8 Terry has a history of polysubstance abuse and has now developed COVID-19 despite having been fully vaccinated. All of the following likely contribute to being positive for COVID-19 except: a. Compromised immune status. b. Comorbidities.
c. Socioeconomic determinants. d. Drug that they were abusing.
EMERGING DRUG TRENDS
Polysubstance and fentanyl As reported by the NDEWS, fentanyl plays an increasing role in deaths involving other drugs such as illicit stimulants. In addition, minorities are increasingly impacted by drug overdose deaths. Fentanyl remains the most lethal drug and is often mixed with other opioids, resulting in overdose deaths and/or overdoses requiring naloxone treatment. Fentanyl has been found laced in cocaine and heroin (NDEWS, 2021). Previously it was largely reported that fentanyl was added to heroin only; however, new Methamphetamines The surge of methamphetamine-related overdose deaths was reported in several sentinel community sites (NDEWS, 2021). San Francisco saw an increase in reported citations and arrests involving methamphetamine and narcotic paraphernalia. Texas Fake prescription pills The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a report (2021) that there has been an alarming increase in lethality and availability of fake prescription pills that contain fentanyl and methamphetamine. There has been a 430% increase since 2019 in counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl (DEA, 2021). Two out of every five counterfeit pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl as reported in 2021. As of 2022, 6 out of 10 now contain E-Cigarettes E-cigarettes are the most popular tobacco product among youth today. In 2022, an estimated 2.55 million middle school and high school U.S. students reported using e-cigarettes within the past 30 days, 85% of whom reported using flavored e-cigarettes (CDC, 2022). Among students who used e-cigarettes, the most commonly used type was disposable, followed by prefilled or refillable cartridges (CDC, 2022). E-cigarettes are viewed by youth as a safer alternative to smoking conventional cigarettes. They produce a flavored nicotine aerosol that looks and feels like tobacco smoke, but without the tar or other chemicals produced by burning tobacco leaves. However, even though e-cigarettes
trends found that in 2021 in St. Louis, there was a reported increased use of powered fentanyl and methamphetamine (NDEWS, 2021). New York City reported that more than 75% of overdose-related deaths involved fentanyl while opioids were involved with 80% of all overdose deaths (NDEWS, 2021). In Denver, the reported total drug-related overdose deaths have decrease with fewer than three opioid-related deaths were reported (NDEWS, 2021). reported of all drug exhibits examined in NFLIS in 2021, 53% were methamphetamine. (NDEWS, 2021). Florida also reported increases in fatal drug overdoses related to fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine (NDEWS, 2021). a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl (DEA, 2022). The most common counterfeit pills are produced to look like prescription opioids (such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and alprazolam) and prescription stimulants (such as adderall) (DEA, 2021). Counterfeit pills are widely available, and seizure by the DEA has included unprecedented quantities. do not produce tobacco smoke, in the formative years of adolescence nicotine causes harm to the developing brain (CDC, 2021). They still deliver nicotine, which is a highly addictive drug. Also, vapor from some e-cigarette products has been found to contain known carcinogens and toxic chemicals (CDC, 2021). While previous surveys indicate that the juul was popular among e-cigarette users, 14.5% reported that Puff Bar was their usual brand, followed by Vuse (12.5%), Hyde (5.5%), and SMOK (4.0%) (CDC, 2022). E-cigarettes are available in fruit, dessert, or other sweet flavors as well as mint and menthol.
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Book Code: RPTTX2024
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