More than 1,000 scientists, including several Arizona researchers, are meeting June 16-21 in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the 63rd annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) to discuss the latest findings on drug abuse and dependence. A broad range of research will be presented on numerous issues, including how drug dependence develops, adolescent drug use, gender differences in effects of drugs, and advances in prevention and treatment of drug abuse and addiction. The meeting, partially sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health, will be held at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess.
Dr. Alan I. Leshner, Director of NIDA, will address the conferees at 8:30 a.m. during the Plenary Session on Sunday, June 17. Donald Vereen, of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, will follow Dr. Leshner on the program.
Highlights include the following:
- Adolescent Drug Use
Most cigarette, alcohol and drug abuse begins during adolescence, and an early age of onset of drug use is associated with longer and more severe use and more difficulty achieving abstinence. - Immunity and Drug Abuse
Drugs of abuse and the lifestyle of persons who abuse drugs appear to diminish an individual's response to immunological challenge. - Treatment Advances
Many reports at the CPDD meeting address new treatment initiatives for drug dependency. - Gender Effects of Drugs and Drug Treatment
The effects of drugs may differ in men and women. Studies presented at the meeting will highlight how such differences influence how drugs work as well as how men and women are treated for dependency disorders - Technical Advances
A number of technical advances that have helped scientists understand the mechanism and location of drug actions will be presented.