For 30 years, NIDA Notes provided in-depth coverage of research findings on drug misuse and addiction. NIDA Notes was discontinued in 2021.
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). For current information, please visit nida.nih.gov.
Promising Advances Toward Understanding the Genetic Roots of Addiction
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This is the second article in a new series, "NIDA-Supported Research Shows," that will appear periodically in NIDA NOTES. The series will explain broad scientific concepts in drug abuse research...
In Birmingham, Alabama, Access to Housing and Job Training Helps Recovering Homeless People Stay Drug Free
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"I came to the city, and my first day here I spent all my money - $800 - on drugs. For the first time in my life I was homeless...
In New York City, Peer Community Helps Homeless Drug Abusers With Mental Illnesses Reduce Drug Use
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"I made good friends here. I call them family . . . . Even the staff, they are my family. They gave me suggestions, ideas, looking to my future. They...
Specialized High School Prevention Programs Target At-Risk Adolescents
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Adolescents on their way to dropping out of school and abusing drugs can be diverted toward healthier,more successful lives, according to NIDA-supported researchers. By using interventions designed specifically to address...
Compounds Show Strong Promise for Treating Cocaine Addiction
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NIDA-supported animal research is finding a number of compounds that show particular promise as treatment medications for cocaine addiction. The compounds significantly reduce the amount of cocaine animals will give...
New Members Join NIDA's National Advisory Council
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Three new members have been approved by Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Donna E. Shalala to join NIDA's National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse. The Council oversees the Institute's...
Cocaine Researcher Honored for Innovative Research
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Dr. David W. Self, a NIDA-supported researcher, has received a Presidential EarlyCareer Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for his contributions to the field of drug abuse and addiction research...
Multifaceted Prevention Programs Reach At-Risk Children Through Their Families
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Two NIDA-funded studies are finding that working with the family is more effective in reducing risks of drug abuse than working with parents or children alone. Both projects target families...
Drug Abuse Among Runaway and Homeless Youths Calls for Focused Outreach Solutions
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Among young people living in shelters or on the streets, drug abuse is even more widespread than was thought - sometimes with tragic consequences. In a study of 432 homeless...
NIDA Director's Leadership Earns Him Distinguished Executive Rank Award
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President Bill Clinton presented NIDA Director Dr. Alan I. Leshner with the highest commendation available to Senior Executive Service staff members of the Federal government during a White House ceremony...
Research Meets the Challenge of Preventing Drug Use Among Young People
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National surveys of drug abuse have brought disturbing news in the last few years: Drug use has increased among our Nation's youth. While some news media speculate about a possible...
Children on The Brink: Youths at Risk of Drug Abuse
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As youths at risk, these young people may exhibit problem behaviors such as school failure, delinquency, and other antisocial behaviors. Sometimes they suffer psychological problems such as depression and suicidal...
Women's Dependence on Smoking Affected By Something in Addition to Nicotine
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A number of studies have shown that women find it more difficult than do men to quit smoking cigarettes. This is especially evident in studies of nicotine replacement therapies that...
Where to Get Information About Applying for NIDA Grants
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Information About NIDA Research Priorities and Grant Programs NIDA Home Page: Click on Funding Information, then click on the appropriate highlighted word or phrase for: Types of grants available from...
NIDA Responds to the Changing Dynamics of the AIDS Epidemic
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Drug abuse and the spread of HIV/AIDS, as well as other infectious diseases such as hepatitis and tuberculosis, are inextricably linked public health problems that require many and multifaceted solutions...
Drug Use Among 8th, 10th, and 12th Graders
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The percentages below show drug use trends among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders over the last 3 years as reported by NIDA's 1996 Monitoring the Future study. The study, conducted...
Washington, D.C., Area Teachers are Briefed on the Biology of Drug Addiction at NIDA Workshop
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NIDA's Dr. Karen Skinner, standing, demonstrates interactive software on drug abuse at a NIDA workshop during Brain Awareness Week. In celebration of Brain Awareness Week, NIDA held a workshop on...
From the 'Burbs to the 'Hood . . .
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Photo by Frank Siteman A school-based drug abuse prevention program that has been shown to lower drug use among white middle-class adolescents also reduces drug use among minority youths, according...
Rate and Duration of Drug Activity Play Major Roles in Drug Abuse, Addiction, and Treatment
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When smoked or taken intravenously, cocaine produces a fast, intense high that dissipates quickly, creating a powerful need to take the drug again. In this regard, cocaine provides a perfect...
CDC Report Highlights Link Between Drug Abuse and Spread of HIV
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An extensive review of existing research data confirms that behavior associated with drug abuse is the single largest factor in the spread of HIV/AIDS in this country. Half of all...
IOM Panel Hails NIDA's Scientific Record, Recommends Future Directions in Drug Abuse Research Agenda
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NIDA deserves recognition for "building a strong foundation for continuing scientific progress" that provides benefits not only in the area of drug abuse, but also in basic neurobiology, psychiatry, pain...
Marijuana and Tobacco Use Up Again Among 8th and 10th Graders
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The rise in marijuana and tobacco use that began in the early 1990s among America's young people continued last year, according to NIDA's 1996 Monitoring the Future study. The study...
Other Drug-Use Paraphernalia Besides Needles May Increase HIV Infection Risk
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Educating injecting drug users (IDUs) to reduce their risks of HIV transmission by using clean needles and by switching to other drug use practices maybe communicating only part of the...
Study Takes a Closer Look at Ecstasy Use
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The synthetic drug "ecstasy," which has been used increasingly among college students and young adults in recent years, also is being used at relatively high levels by America's 8th, 10th...
NIDA Sponsors Special Sessions at Society for Neuroscience Meeting
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The common ground shared by neuroscience and drug abuse research was highlighted at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience last fall in Washington, D.C., with NIDA sponsoring or...
Initiative Brings Lessons to Fight Drug Abuse into Nation's Schools and Home
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The classroom poster is part of the package of materials NIDA developed with Scholastic, Inc., to foster antidrug attitudes among schoolchildren. NIDA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and...
NIDA Fosters Next Generation of Neuroscience Researchers With Mentored Awards
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NIDA is helping to prepare the next generation of drug abuse researchers through fellowships, training grants, and mentored research career development awards designed for scientists who show special promise in...
Mental Health Problems of Addicted Mothers Linked to Infant Care and Development
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Women who abuse cocaine while they are pregnant often share many characteristics, such as addiction, poverty, and low literacy levels. However, they differ in the quality of care they give...
National Conference Showcases Effective Drug Abuse Prevention Programs
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With antidrug attitudes eroding and drug use increasing among the Nation's youth in recent years, NIDA held the National Conference on Drug Abuse Prevention Research: Putting Research to Work for...
NIDA Designs Research Guide to Aid Community Prevention Efforts
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NIDA has released an important new resource to help community leaders,service providers, parents, and teachers prevent drug abuse among children and teenagers. Preventing Drug Use Among Children and Adolescents: A...
Constituents Help Shape NIDA's Research Agenda
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NIDA constituent groups have become instrumental in furthering the Institute's public health goals, NIDA Director Dr. Alan I. Leshner told participants at NIDA's Third Annual Constituent Conference in Lansdowne, Virginia...
Taking Drug Abuse Research to the Community
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NIDA research has produced a tremendous amount of scientific knowledge about preventing drug abuse and treating addiction. However, this knowledge has not yet reached many American homes, schools, and communities...
National Survey of Drug Use During Pregnancy Available
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The survey findings show that an estimated 5.5 percent of the 4 million women who gave birth in the United States in 1992 used illegal drugs while they were pregnant...
Smoking Any Substance Raises Risk of Lung Infections
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Smoking any substance- tobacco, marijuana, or "crack," a smokable form of cocaine-increases a smoker's risk of developing bacterial pneumonia and other infections of the lungs, according to the findings of...
Science Brings Respect and Allies, Says NIDA Constituent
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Using research and information dissemination to address public health issues is a core strategy that the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill shares with NIDA, NAMI's Executive Director Laurie Flynn...
NIDA Goes to Town
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NIDA Director Dr. Alan I. Leshner in St. Louis A St. Louis Town Meeting community participant As part of an expanded effort to increase public knowledge about drug abuse and...
Conference Draws More Constituents
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Now in its third year, NIDA's Constituent Conference continues to draw more participants each year. Forty-eight constituent groups were represented at the 1996 conference, up from 43 organizations in 1995...
Brain Imaging Research
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Cutting the ribbon to dedicate NIDA's new Brain Imaging Center in Baltimore are, from left, Dr. Harold Varmus, director of the National Institutes of Health; General Barry R. McCaffrey, director...
NIDA's Regional Neuroimaging Center
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A new NIDA Regional Neuroimaging Center is employing MRI, PET, and SPECT in an integrative research strategy for the study of drug addiction. The Center, at Brookhaven National Laboratory in...
Recommendations to Advance Understanding of Methamphetamine
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Several gaps exist in the scientific knowledge about the basic pharmacology, toxicity, and treatment of methamphetamine abuse, according to a satellite meeting of experts on the abuse of methamphetamine held...
The Basics of Brain Imaging
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The major neuroimaging techniques used in drug abuse research are positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT),and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), along with electro-encephalography(EEG), an earlier technique...
NIDA's Brain Imaging Studies Serve as Powerful Tools to Improve Drug Abuse Treatment
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In recent years, powerful new research tools have been developed that are proving invaluable in unraveling the neurobiological complexities that underlie drug abuse and addiction. Prominent among these tools is...
NIDA-Supported Researchers Use Brain Imaging to Deepen Understanding of Addiction
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In addition to the neuroimaging research being conducted at Division of Intramural Research, NIDA-supported research across the Nation also is offering a greater understanding of addiction through the use of...
NIDA Brain Imaging Research Links Cue-Induced Craving to Structures Involved in Memory
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Dr. Edythe D. London, Director of NIDA's new Brain Imaging Center, initiated the craving study that has found links between cue-induced craving and the brain structures involved in memory. A...
Facts About Methamphetamine
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Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant with a high potential abuse and dependence. A synthetic drug, methamphetamine is closely related chemically to amphetamine, but produces greater effects on the...
Like Methamphetamine, "Ecstasy" May Cause Long-Term Brain Damage
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Heavy users of ecstasy, a synthetic drug that is structurally similar to methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline, may be risking brain damage that remains long after the high has worn...
New Imaging Center Enhances NIDA's Brain Research
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A research subject is positioned to enter NIDA's new state-of-the-art PET scanner, used in these studies to detect and create images of brain areas of increased glucose metabolism. Nurse Nelda...
Response to Escalating Methamphetamine Abuse Builds on NIDA-Funded Research
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NIDA-funded scientists are providing research crucial to the Nation's response to increasing methamphetamine abuse and addiction. Methamphetamine, also called "meth," is a potent form of amphetamine. It is a synthetic...
Colorado Professor Becomes Director of NIDA's Division of Intramural Research
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Dr. Barry J. Hoffer, a neuropharmacologist, has been named scientific director of NIDA's Division of Intramural Research (DIR). Dr. Hoffer succeeds Dr. George R. Uhl, who had been acting scientific...
Professional Exchanges Strengthen Drug Abuse Research, Prevention and Treatment
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Drug abuse affects many, if not all, aspects of a person's life and is typically linked to social, psychological, and medical problems. Therefore, neither drug abuse researchers nor treatment practitioners...
Opioid Analogue May Slow Spread of HIV in Brain
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Synthetic compounds, or analogues, related to the opiates morphine and heroin can limit the growth of HIV - the virus that causes AIDS - in the brain, according to NIDA-funded...
NIDA Holds Conference on Drug Abuse at Annual APA Convention
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In an effort to more broadly disseminate its state-of-the-science research and attract new investigators to the field, NIDA shared its research agenda and latest findings with clinicians, researchers, educators, policy...
Dr. Condon Named NIDA's Associate Director for Science Policy
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Dr. Timothy P. Condon has been appointed NIDA's associate director for science policy and director of the Institute's Office of Science Policy and Communications (OSPC), where he oversees and coordinates...
Type A or B? Classification May Help in Treating Cocaine Abuse
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For a number of years, researchers have been testing the concept of classifying, or subtyping, alcoholics as Type A or Type B. Now they are finding the concept useful in...
Anxiety and Stress Found to Promote Cocaine Use in Rats
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Although cocaine users typically report that the drug enhances their feelings of well-being and reduces anxiety, cocaine also is known to bring on panic attacks in some individuals. What's more...
Specialized Approach Shows Promise for Treating Antisocial Drug Abuse Patients
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Drug-abusing patients with antisocial personality disorder (APD) often do poorly in drug abuse treatment and are at high risk of relapsing to drug use. Now, early results from a NIDA-funded...
Drug Use During Pregnancy Associated with Increased Risk of Transmitting HIV to Infants
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A national, multicenter study has found that HIV-infected women who used illicit drugs during pregnancy had a higher risk of transmitting HIV to their infants than did HIV-infected women who...
The Brain's Drug Reward System
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Scientists investigating which brain structures may be involved in the human drug reward system have learned a great deal from studies with rats. Because the chemistry of the human brain...
Do APD Patients Use More Drugs?
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The results of a recent study led researchers to wonder if antisocial personality disorder (APD)* leads to heavy drug use, which, in turn, leads to poor drug abuse treatment results...
Summary of Marijuana Conference Proceedings Now Available
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NIDA has published a summary of the proceedings of its National Conference on Marijuana Use: Prevention, Treatment, and Research, which was held in July 1995 in Arlington, Virginia. The conference...
Drug Abuse Treatment for AIDS-Risk Reduction (DATAR) Treatment Manuals Available
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Psychoeducational intervention manuals can help drug abuse treatment counselors educate patients and build patients' skills in important areas. Treatment programs can order copies of manuals developed by the NIDA-supported Drug...
DIR Researcher Named Career Scientist of the Year
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Dr. Edward Cone, chief of the Chemistry and Drug Metabolism Section in the Clinical Pharmacology Branch of NIDA's Division of Intramural Research, has been honored for his achievements during a...
Studies Show Cognitive Impairments Linger in Heavy Marijuana Users
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Students who smoke marijuana heavily may be limiting their ability to learn, according to a NIDA-funded study. The study found that college students who used marijuana regularly had impaired skills...
New NIDA Report Summarizes Data on Drug Use Among Racial and Ethnic Minorities
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The latest data on drug use among racial and ethnic minorities residing in the United States are now available in an updated NIDA-published report. The report, Drug Use Among Racial/Ethnic...
NIDA Seeks New Keys to Preventing Drug Abuse Among Adolescents
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Research has shown that some children raised in chaotic or disadvantaged environments make successful transitions to adulthood while others raised in similar circumstances go on to abusing drugs during adolescence...
New Members Join NIDA's Expanded National Advisory Board
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Twelve new members have joined NIDA's National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse, which provides overall scientific and policy direction to NIDA. The Council meets three times a year to oversee...
Protective Factors Can Buffer High-Risk Youths from Drug Use
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A NIDA-funded study has identified a number of protective factors that can help prevent high-risk youths from engaging in delinquency and drug use. An accumulation of these protective factors in...
New Resources from NIDA's Science Education Program
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NIDA's Science Education Program funds projects to interest children in pursuing careers in science and to increase science knowledge about drug abuse and addiction among the general public. The Program...
Vocational Screener Helps Methadone Patients Overcome Job Barriers
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Guidance in finding a job is a critical need for patients enrolled in methadone treatment programs for opiate addiction. Holding down a job is a step toward financial security, contributes...
Dr. Zukin Heads Division of Clinical and Services Research
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Dr. Stephen R. Zukin has joined NIDA as director of the Division of Clinical and Services Research. As head of the division, Dr. Zukin directs and coordinates a broad program...
NIDA-Funded Studies Shed Light on Neurobiology of Drug Craving
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How do environmental cues trigger drug craving in a recovering drug abuser? Is it possible to block the effects of those cues? These are key questions faced by clinicians and...
UNC Scientist Searches for Effective Analgesics with Low Abuse Potential
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NIDA MERIT Award winner Dr. Linda A. Dykstra investigates drugs that effectively relieve pain but have a low likelihood of being abused. Her behavioral pharmacology research at the University of...
NIDA Research Expands Horizon for Analgesia Alternatives
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NIDA's commitment to basic neuroscience research continues to result in important advances in the understanding of pain and how it might be controlled more effectively. NIDA-supported studies of the pain-relieving...
Visual Technique Helps Drug Abuse Treatment Patients Map Road to Recovery
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A picture may be worth more than a thousand words when it comes to improving the effectiveness of drug abuse treatment, say researchers conducting a NIDA-funded study. When treatment practitioners...
NIDA Conference on Drug Abuse
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Bringing scientists and community leaders together to see how research-based drug abuse strategies and programs can be implemented in the community is the thrust of NIDA's National Conference on Drug...
NIDA Scientist Receives ASAM Award
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Dr. Jack E. Henningfield, chief of the Clinical Pharmacology Branch of NIDA's Addiction Research Center, received the American Society of Addiction Medicine's (ASAM) Annual Award this spring. The award was...
Study Finds Ways to Improve Drug Abuse Treatment Process
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Scientific research has long established that drug abuse treatment can work. Now, a NIDA-funded treatment demonstration study is showing how drug abuse treatment can work better. The Improving Drug Abuse...
Facts About Marijuana and Marijuana Abuse
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Source Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of Cannabis sativa, the hemp plant. Active Ingredient Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, one of nearly 400...
Scientists Explore Novel Approaches to Pain Control
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Two recent studies conducted by scientists in NIDA's Division of Intramural Research (DIR) at the Addiction Research Center (ARC) in Baltimore add to the variety of possible alternative methods of...
Bridging the "Great Disconnect"
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As I talk with people - health professionals, legislators and policymakers, and the general public - I am struck by what we have come to call the "great disconnect," the...
Making a Node-Link Map
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Node-link mapping is a way of putting ideas down on paper that makes it easier for drug abuse treatment patients to see and understand the various aspects of a particular...
Rats Immunized Against Effects of Cocaine
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NIDA-funded researchers have moved closer to finding a new approach to treating cocaine addiction by developing a cocaine-like compound that immunizes rats against many of the stimulant effects of cocaine...
Constituent Groups Join Forces with NIDA to Bridge the "Great Disconnect"
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Representatives of 43 organizations met with NIDA senior staff in January to map strategies to bridge the "great disconnect," the gap between public perceptions and the scientific facts about drug...
Conference on Drug Abuse (CODA)
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The spotlight will be on drug abuse and addiction research, everything from behavioral neuroscience to newly developed therapeutic techniques, at a special conference to be held at the 1996 Annual...
NIDA Develops Guidelines for Research Center Grant Program
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The field of drug abuse research has undergone a dramatic evolution over the past two decades. Growing numbers of scientific insights and critical research findings continue to improve our understanding...
NIDA Print and Video Materials Help Parents Warn Young People About Dangers of Drug Use
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NIDA has launched a number of public education efforts to help parents and concerned adults present clear and consistent messages to young people about the dangers of drug use. Most...
Hibernation-Triggering Opioid Extends Life of Organs for Transplantation
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Using an opiate-like compound to mimic a blood chemical that triggers hibernation in animals, a researcher at NIDA's Division of Intramural Research (DIR) has collaborated with scientists at the University...
Projects Make Science Interesting For Children and Adults
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NIDA's Science Education Program is increasing its efforts to show children and adults that science can be interesting and useful in making good choices about health matters such as drug...
Expanded Advisory Council Steers NIDA in New Directions
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Last year, NIDA's National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse helped the Institute formulate policies on a number of issues critical to the field of drug abuse research. As framed by...
Drug Use Among 8th, 10th, and 12th Graders
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Data from NIDA's 1995 Monitoring the Future study show the percentages of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders who used drugs, including alcohol and tobacco in the past 3 years. The...
Animated View of How Drugs Act in Brain is Hit at Museum
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A NIDA-funded multimedia education project designed to show adults, teenagers, and even elementary school children how drugs affect the brain is on display at the Museum of Science in Boston...
Cocaine Affects Men and Women Differently, NIDA Study Shows
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A recent NIDA-funded study suggests that gender differences will become an increasingly important consideration in drug abuse treatment strategies. The study by researchers affiliated with Harvard Medical School found that...
Student's Use of Marijuana, Other Illicit Drugs, and Cigarettes Continued to Rise in 1995
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Illicit drug use and tobacco use among America's young people increased again last year, continuing a trend that began in the early 1990s, according to NIDA's 1995 Monitoring the Future...
Marijuana Impairs Driving-Related Skills and Workplace Performance
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Marijuana use impairs driving-related functions and is linked to a pattern of behaviors that leads to poor job performance, according to two NIDA-supported studies on the effects of marijuana on...
Dr. Nurco's MERIT Award Supports His Inner-City Prevention and Treatment Research
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One important area of NIDA research is to investigate factors associated with drug use in communities, as demonstrated by MERIT Award winner Dr. David N. Nurco of the University of...
Finding and Defining Causes of Drug Abuse
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NIDA's Addiction Research Center (ARC) 60th Anniversary The Etiology Branch conducts studies to determine and define the causes, mechanisms, and conditions that lead to drug use and drug dependence. The...
At 60, NIDA's Addiction Research Center Looks to the Future
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NIDA's Addiction Research Center (ARC) 60th Anniversary NIDA's Addiction Research Center (ARC) marked its 60th anniversary in 1995. Over the years, the mission of the ARC, which is NIDA's Division...
Drug Abuse Links to AIDS Prompt Highly Targeted Responses
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NIDA supported research to prevent the spread of AIDS related to drug abuse is building on what has been learned from an array of prevention approaches that target specific populations...
Additional Marijuana Initiatives
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HHS Secretary Sends Marijuana Information to the Nation's Schools With the distribution of NIDA developed materials on marijuana to 16,000 U.S. school districts in October, the national Marijuana Use Prevention...
NIDA Conference Advances HHS Secretary's Marijuana Initiative
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Approximately 570 marijuana researchers, treatment and prevention services providers, and educators met in Arlington, Virginia, July 19-20, to learn about new marijuana research findings. The occasion was NIDA's Conference on...