This is Archived Content. This content is available for historical purposes only. It may not reflect the current state of science or language from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). View current news releases on nida.nih.gov.
NIDA Researchers Find That Animals Exposed to Marijuana's Active Component Will Self-Administer the Drug
Scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have demonstrated that laboratory animals will self-administer marijuana's psychoactive component, THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), in doses equivalent to those used by humans who...
|
Teens, Women, and Whites More Vulnerable Than Others to Becoming Nicotine-Dependent
An analysis of the data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse interviews with 22,292 smokers showed that adolescents, women, and whites are particularly vulnerable to developing nicotine-dependence symptoms...
|
NIDA Clinical Toolbox Provides the Latest Information about Drug Treatment Strategies
Nearly 12,000 drug treatment programs around the country will benefit from years of drug abuse and addiction research thanks to the NIDA Clinical Toolbox: Science-Based Materials for Drug Abuse Counselors...
|
NewsScan for September 15, 2000 - Research Advances
Genes Play Increasing Role in Risk for Tobacco Use Among Women A generation-spanning study of twins has confirmed that genes and inheritance each play a key role in determining a...
|
New National Public Service Campaign Highlights How Drugs Damage the Brain
"Keep Your Brain Healthy. Don't Use Drugs." That's the message of a new, nationwide public service campaign launched today by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The campaign, which...
|
Study Finds Acupuncture Shows Promise for Treating Cocaine Addiction
In the continuing search for an effective therapy for cocaine addiction, acupuncture, an ancient Chinese therapy, combined with modern Western treatments, may hold promise. In the August 14/28 issue of...
|
Medication Reduces Metabolism of Nicotine, Decreasing Urge to Smoke
Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that a medication that partially blocks the body's ability to break down nicotine significantly improves the effectiveness of oral nicotine replacement in...
|
Conferences in South Africa to Focus On the Role of Drug Use in HIV Transmission
Prior to the 13th International AIDS Meeting (July 9-14) in Durban, South Africa, researchers will meet in three separate forums to discuss the role of drug use in the transmission...
|
Cocaine and Alcohol Combined Are More Damaging to Mental Ability Than Either Drug Alone
Scientists have found that cocaine abuse coupled with use of alcohol leads to more impulsive decision-making and to poorer performance on tests of learning and memory than does use of...
|
Study Finds Marijuana Ingredient Promotes Tumor Growth, Impairs Anti-Tumor Defenses
Researchers report in the July 2000 issue of the Journal of Immunology that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoactive component of marijuana, can promote tumor growth by impairing the body's anti-tumor...
|
Researchers Announce Latest Study Results on Drug Dependence and Abuse
More than 1,000 researchers are meeting this week in Puerto Rico at the annual College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) to discuss the latest studies on drug dependence and...
|
Study Shows a Combination of Antabuse and Buprenorphine May Be Effective in Treating Those Addicted to Cocaine
It is estimated that more than 50 percent of individuals addicted to opiates such as heroin also are addicted to cocaine. A study in the Spring 2000 issue of Biological...
|
Urban Researchers Who Track Drug Use Will Meet in Baltimore, June 13-16
Current and emerging patterns and trends in drug abuse will be discussed at the 48th meeting of the Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG), June 13-16, at the Hilton Baltimore and...
|
The Makings of a Public Health Epidemic: Drug Abuse, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C
The confluence of HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, and hepatitis C is becoming a public health nightmare. HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C are moving at an alarming rate into the minority community, where...
|
NIDA Announces Multimedia Public Education Initiative Aimed at Reversing Rise in Use of Anabolic Steroids by Teens
Concerns about body image and athletic performance may be leading teens, as well as adult men and women, to use anabolic steroids, despite the serious side effects of these drugs...
|
Methamphetamine Abuse Linked to Long-Term Damage to Brain Cells
New research shows that those who use methamphetamine, often called "meth" or "speed," risk long-term damage to their brain cells similar to that caused by strokes or Alzheimer's disease. In...
|
Students Learn What's Really on Their Minds
Some local students are going to find out what's really on their minds next week, as they are offered the chance to touch and feel and learn all about the...
|
New Study Underscores Effectiveness of Methadone Maintenance as Treatment for Heroin Addiction
New research clearly shows that longer-term methadone maintenance therapy (MMT), combined with some psychosocial counseling, is a far more effective treatment for heroin addiction than is simply the temporary use...
|
NIDA Survey Finds Practitioners Would Treat Addicted Patients With Office Based Methadone
A NIDA-supported survey of primary care physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners working in New York City found that two-thirds of the clinicians are willing to provide methadone maintenance treatment...
|
Nicotine Craving and Heavy Smoking May Contribute to Increased Use of Cocaine and Heroin
Researchers supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have found that craving for nicotine appears to be linked to increased craving for illicit drugs among drug abusers who...
|
"Angela's Ashes," "The Insider" & "Man on the Moon" Among Nominees for PRISM Awards 2000
LOS ANGELES, February 8, 2000 - Nominations for PRISM Awards ™ 2000 were announced today at Le Meridien Hotel in West Hollywood by the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC). Fifty-one...
|
NIDA Announces Second-Round Competition for National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, announces the release of the second request for grant applications (RFAs) for participation in the National Drug Abuse Clinical...
|
Nicotine Vaccine Shows Promise for Combating Tobacco Addiction
A nicotine vaccine may be an effective method for preventing and treating tobacco addiction, according to a new study funded in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)...
|
Drug Use Among Teenagers Leveling Off
Overall use of illicit drugs among teenagers generally remained unchanged from last year, according to the 25th annual Monitoring the Future Survey released by the Department of Health and Human...
|
Club Drugs Take Center Stage in New National Education and Prevention Initiative by NIDA and National Partners
As part of a national initiative to combat the increasing use of club drugs, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) today announced that it will raise its funding for...
|
Club Drugs: Raves, Risks, and Research
Early indicators show that teens and young adults across the country are using "club drugs" - Ecstasy, Ketamine, GHB, and Rohypnol - at all night dances or "raves." These drugs...
|
National, Local Drug Addiction Experts Join Forces at Seattle Town Meeting to Discuss Substance Abuse Science, Prevention, and Treatment
Club drugs, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamines and other illicit drugs are widely abused in Seattle and its surrounding areas; there are an estimated 15,000 intravenous drug users in King County, alone...
|
Federal Institutes and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Create Tobacco Use Research Centers
Seven academic institutions have been awarded grants totaling $14.5 million by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to create the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use...
|
Institute Publishes "Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment"
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) today published the first-ever, science-based guide to drug addiction treatment. In its Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide, the Institute outlines...
|
NIH Institute Launches National Drug Addiction Treatment Clinical Trials Network
In an effort to dramatically improve treatment throughout the country, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has awarded $55 million in grants over five years to establish a clinical...
|
Scientists Identify Brain Chemicals Involved in "Switching On" Cocaine Addiction
Scientists supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have identified two chemicals in the brains of mice that appear to play a major role in the addiction process...
|
Differences in Human Brain Chemistry May Account for Different Responses to Stimulants
Scientists have discovered a mechanism that appears to account for the different levels of euphoria people experience when taking a stimulant drug, according to a new study funded by the...
|
Response to Cocaine Linked to Biological Clock Genes
A new study shows that a surprising phenomenon--sensitivity to repeated cocaine exposure--can now be added to the short list of activities linked to genes controlling the biological clock. Researchers funded...
|
Boys Treated With Ritalin, Other Stimulants Significantly Less Likely To Abuse Drugs Later
Boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who are treated with stimulants such as Ritalin are significantly less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol when they get older, according to...
|
Chronic, Heavy Cocaine Use Associated with Long-Lasting Impaired Function
The detrimental effects of heavy cocaine use on an individual's manual dexterity, problem solving, and other critical skills can last for up to a month after the drug was taken...
|
NIH Institute Opens Treatment Research Center in Baltimore to Help Teens Quit Smoking
Baltimore-area teenagers who want to kick the habit may be eligible to join the first of a series of smoking cessation research studies being launched by the National Institute on...
|
Long-Term Brain Injury From Use of "Ecstasy"
The designer drug "Ecstasy," or MDMA, causes long-lasting damage to brain areas that are critical for thought and memory, according to new research findings in the June 15 issue of...
|
Severity of Problems is Key to Best Type of Treatment For Cocaine Addiction
Cocaine addicts with problems such as unemployment, poor support from family and friends, current alcohol or multidrug use, depression or anxiety require more intensive and lengthier treatment to overcome their...
|
Combined Drug Counseling Approach Works in Treating Cocaine Addiction
Drug addiction treatment combining individual and group drug counseling reduced cocaine use more effectively than group drug counseling alone or in combination with cognitive or supportive-expressive psychotherapy, according to a...
|
Chronic Marijuana Users Become Aggressive During Withdrawal
People who have smoked marijuana daily for many years display more aggressive behavior when they stop smoking the drug, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard Medical School...
|
National Institute on Drug Abuse and Kmart Kids Race Against Drugs Join Forces in Massive National Drug Awareness Program
The national kick-off of a major drug abuse education outreach effort partnering the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, with the Kmart Kids Race Against Drugs...
|
Researchers Discover Function for Brain's Marijuana-Like Compound
Researchers, funded in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health, have discovered a function for a natural compound in the brain that...
|
Higher Doses of Methadone Found to be Safe and Effective
Researchers have demonstrated that methadone can be used safely at dose levels higher than those often considered standard, and that the higher dosages significantly improve treatment outcomes. They also showed...
|
MIRAMAX, NBC, CBS & ABC Among Winners of PRISM Awards Which Champion Accurate Depiction of Drug Use in Movies & on Tv
The Third Annual PRISM Awards, which spotlight outstanding efforts of the entertainment industry to accurately depict drug use and addiction in entertainment products, were presented today (March 9), at the...
|
Advances in Imaging and Understanding the Human Brain Featured in NIH Commemoration of Brain Awareness Week
Noninvasive technology has become the scientist's window into the brain and how it functions. Neuroimaging, the theme of this year's Brain Awareness Week symposia at the National Institutes of Health...
|
NIDA Launches a Major Effort to Establish National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, is taking a major step forward in establishing a critically needed research infrastructure that will test and disseminate science-based...
|
Popular Rave Drug "Ecstasy" Impairs Memory, Apparently Related To Brain Damage
Heavy use of the drug Ecstasy, or MDMA, can lead to persistent problems in remembering what is seen and heard, according to a study appearing in the December issue of...
|
Drug Use Eases Among Teens for Second Consecutive Year
Illicit drug use among teenagers remained stable for the second year in a row, and in some cases even decreased, according to the 24th annual Monitoring the Future Survey released...
|
Panel Urges Broadened Access, Insurance Coverage for Methadone Treatment Nationwide
An independent panel convened for a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Conference came out firmly in favor of methadone treatment for all heroin addicts who might benefit from...
|
Every Middle School Nationwide to Receive Award-Winning, Science-Based Drug Education Materials
A new science education initiative for middle school students, teachers, and counselors will be launched by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, at the November...
|
Comprehensive Research Effort Advanced on Tobacco Use
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), following the recommendations of its Tobacco Research Implementation Group, is advancing a plan to expand and accelerate tobacco research that can prevent cancers associated with...
|
Individuals Who Abuse Any One Type of Drug Are at Serious Risk of Abusing All Other Types of Drugs
New research on pairs of male twins who had abused an illicit drug at some time in their lives shows a common vulnerability to co-occurring drug abuse, and a significantly...
|
Different Treatment Strategy May Be Required For HIV+ Women Who Have Used Injection Drugs
Findings from a decade-long study of HIV-1-infected injection drug users indicate that HIV-1-positive women who have used injection drugs may need a different schedule for anti-AIDS therapy from current practice...
|
New Study Clarifies Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Crack and Cocaine
The need for stronger emphasis on prevention programs throughout the country has been brought to light by a new study of school-age children who were prenatally exposed to cocaine or...
|
Science and Public Confront Local Drug Abuse and Addiction Issues at Des Moines Town Meeting
Des Moines and many other parts of Iowa and the Midwest have been besieged by increases in methamphetamine abuse and addiction and serious problems with marijuana abuse. To help the...
|
New Research Helps Explain Ritalins Low Abuse Potential When Taken As Prescribed
New research sheds light on why individuals taking therapeutic doses of methylphenidate rarely abuse it or become addicted, even though it is a stimulant with properties similar to those of...
|
Gene Variant Found That Can Help Protect Against Nicotine Addiction
Some individuals carry a gene variant that may help protect them from becoming addicted to nicotine, according to a new study funded in part by the National Institute on Drug...
|
Cocaine Reward Does Not Require Dopamine or Serotonin Transporters - The Brain Sites Previously Implicated
Cocaine's action in the brain requires more or other sites than researchers previously believed, or an unidentified means of action, according to scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse...
|
Psychiatrists Focus on Latest Drug Addiction Research at Annual Meeting in Toronto
Advances in science are revolutionizing understanding of drug abuse and addiction. Addiction is increasingly understood to be a medical disorder with a critical central role for psychiatrists in its treatment...
|
Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Estimated at $246 Billion in The United States
A new study released today by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), estimates that...
|
Scientists Identify Gene Involved in Sensitivity to Cocaine
Scientists have taken another step in unraveling the role genetics plays in addiction. A new study published in the May 14 issue of Nature found that mice lacking a specific...
|
Severity of Brain Changes During Nicotine Withdrawal Comparable to Those for Other Drugs of Abuse
Dramatic changes in the brain's pleasure circuits during withdrawal from chronic nicotine use rival the magnitude and duration of similar changes observed during withdrawal from other abused drugs such as...
|
Popular TV Shows and Movies Receive Prism Awards for Scientific Accuracy in Showing Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Entertainment industry leaders and more than 50 entertainment programs were recognized today at the Second Annual Prism Awards ceremony in Hollywood for their outstanding efforts to accurately depict the science...
|
New Addiction Treatments To Be Focus of National Conference in Washington
More than two decades of research clearly shows that drug addiction is a chronic relapsing illness that comes about because of the effects of long-term drug use on the brain...
|
New Help Available for Communities to Assess Local Drug Problems
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, today released a new guide to help communities determine the nature of their local drug problems. Speaking at a...
|
Troubled Teens Risk Rapid Dependence on Marijuana
Marijuana use by teenagers who have prior serious antisocial problems can quickly lead to dependence on the drug, according to a recent study by researchers at the Addiction Research and...
|
Science and Public Join Together to Confront Local Drug Abuse and Addiction Issues at Boston Town Meeting
When a popular Boston firefighter died recently, the local community was both shocked and bewildered by his tragic death. He was a devoted public servant and family man, the father...
|
Study Identifies Mechanism for Cocaine-Induced Stroke and Other Brain Damage
Scientists have identified a likely mechanism by which cocaine use can cause brain damage and decreased cognitive function. Using advanced brain imaging techniques, scientists have clearly demonstrated for the first...
|
One Step Closer to Unraveling Nicotine's Addictive Properties
An important discovery using genetically altered mice has brought researchers one step closer to unraveling the mechanisms of nicotine addiction and even closer to the development of an effective treatment...
|