Prevention is our best — and most underrated — weapon against opioids
Jul 18, 2022
By Diana Fishbein for The Hill The United States is in the midst of an unprecedented “syndemic” — multiple simultaneous crises — that has ravaged communities across the nation. COVID-19 took the country by storm, causing more than 1 million deaths, economic devastation and unimaginable suffering.…News Topics: Substance AbuseOpioids
How drunk is 'drunk?' New scale helps predict negative drinking effects
May 24, 2021
The words young adults use to describe how they feel when they have been drinking alcohol are a key to understanding whether they will engage in risky behaviors such as driving under the influence. A new scale for researchers developed at Penn State has been shown effective in gauging how young…News Topics: Substance UseSubstance Abuse
Are more parents letting their teens drink during the pandemic?
May 11, 2021
COVID-19 stay-at-home orders during spring 2020 dramatically changed daily life and created significant challenges for families. A new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that 1 in 6 parents first allowed their adolescent children to have an alcoholic drink with their families…
Family ties protect young adults from substance misuse
Mar 29, 2021
Opioid use disorders now affect over 2.1 million people in the United States, and rates of drug overdose have skyrocketed over the past three decades. In a collaboration between the Penn State Population Research Institute and Syracuse University’s Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion,…
Addressing stigma and discrimination one story at a time
Mar 23, 2021
The Story Powered Initiative is a newly relaunched nationally focused initiative that addresses stigma and discrimination through sharing individual stories. Founded and led by Glenn Sterner, assistant professor of criminal justice at Penn State Abington and Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (…News Topics: Substance AbuseCCSA
Penn State researchers combat problems of substance misuse
Mar 23, 2021
The misuse of alcohol, opioids, and other substances poses many serious, well-known risks to people’s health and communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, economic stress, social isolation, and anxiety about the future may have deepened the public health emergency posed by substance misuse and…News Topics: CCSASubstance Abuse
Annual substance use and addiction conference to be held virtually on May 3
Mar 17, 2021
Penn State’s Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) will hold its second annual conference to bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, foundation representatives and the public to discuss significant and emerging problems in combating substance use and addiction. “Addressing…News Topics: CCSASubstance Abuse
Impacts of the pandemic on opioid-related drug overdose
Jan 5, 2021
Opioid-related drug overdose is a leading cause of death and injury in the United States. When we consider individuals who use opioids, social factors including poor access to healthcare, unstable housing and employment, and social isolation may double as risk factors for infectious disease…
Preventing risky drinking by college students the focus of new Penn State study
Dec 7, 2020
Is there a simple way for parents to reduce the chance of their college-age children having problems resulting from drinking alcohol? Professor of Biobehavioral Health Robert Turrisi was recently awarded a 5-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to…News Topics: Substance AbuseTeens
Building bridges to improve drug misuse prevention
Dec 1, 2020
Many agencies at the national, state and local levels are working to address the nation’s drug and alcohol misuse crisis. While this provides numerous opportunities for individuals to receive support, efforts across these agencies are often not closely coordinated. A new million-dollar award from…News Topics: Substance AbuseCCSA
Engineering professor named as new Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse director
Nov 20, 2020
Paul Griffin, professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering and recently returning Penn State faculty member, will become the next interim director of the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) beginning in summer 2021. Griffin, an expert in health systems engineering, is already a co-…News Topics: CCSASubstance Abuse
Impacts of the coronavirus on student athlete substance abuse
Nov 5, 2020
College is a well-known risk environment for problematic alcohol use and substance abuse. In this post, Katherine McLean, associate professor of criminal justice at Penn State Greater Allegheny, outlines why student athletes may be at particular risk for higher levels of alcohol consumption and…
Abstracts wanted for Sixth Annual Penn State Addiction Symposium
Nov 2, 2020
Penn State Addiction Center for Translation is accepting abstracts for virtual oral poster and “data blitz” presentations at the center's Sixth Annual Penn State Addiction Symposium. Submit a 250-word abstract, complete with title, author(s), affiliations, and presenter's email address to PSACT@…
New study will examine women with opioid-use disorder in criminal justice system
Oct 28, 2020
A new five-year, $842,000 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will allow Penn State researchers to examine opioid-use disorder among criminal justice-involved (CJI) women. Abenaa Jones, assistant professor of human development and family studies and Consortium to Combat…News Topics: Substance Abuse
EIC Podcast on the opioid crisis is now available
Sep 2, 2020
The fifth episode of the new Evidence-to-Impact Podcast features a discussion with Glenn Sterner, PhD, assistant professor of criminal justice at Penn State Abington, and Stephen Forzato, deputy chief for tStatewide Drug Initiatives at the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General about reducing the…
Impacts of the coronavirus on parental substance abuse
Sep 2, 2020
Market research regarding substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic shows alcoholic beverage sales increased by about 55% in March compared to March of last year, while sales of combustible cigarettes increased across several countries. Meanwhile, the Overdose Detection Mapping Application…
Turrisi advises parents in a new video series about teen alcohol use
May 21, 2020
Parents with questions about how to protect their teens from the dangers of alcohol and other drugs can now receive research-based advice from videos featuring Robert Turrisi, a Penn State professor of biobehavioral health with more than 35 years of experience in researching underage drinking.…
Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on substance abuse
May 18, 2020
Penn State researchers provide informed commentary on the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on those affected by substance abuse disorder. They point out it is essential that treatment and intervention, recovery services, and prevention mechanisms remain accessible, operational, and optimized.…News Topics: COVID-19Substance Abuse
Prenatal substance exposure may impact adolescent attitudes toward gun violence
Apr 14, 2020
The wave of mass shootings across the United States in the last two decades has reignited the discussion of gun violence and the role it plays on childhood development. New research has found that prenatal substance exposure may contribute to positive attitudes toward guns and violence among…
Research suggests adults, not just teens, like electronic cigarette flavors
Feb 27, 2020
On Feb. 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began to enforce a previously issued policy on unauthorized, flavored, cartridge-based e-cigarette products with the goal of addressing the current epidemic of youth use of e-cigarettes. A new study by researchers at Penn State finds that…
Marijuana policies: A call to shift from a criminal justice approach to a public health approach
Jan 9, 2020
By Elizabeth Long and Diana Fishbein, opinion contributors for The Hill Despite the billions of dollars, marijuana prohibition has cost society; this strategy has failed to protect communities. Instead, it has caused great harm, particularly for marginalized populations. These adverse outcomes are…
Penn State's Project ECHO awarded $1.5M to address substance abuse
Nov 22, 2019
Project ECHO at Penn State College of Medicine will use a $1.5 million federal grant to address underage drinking and opioid use in 10 rural counties in central Pennsylvania. The five-year grant was awarded by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Blair, Bradford,…
Popular electronic cigarette may deliver nicotine more effectively than others
Nov 18, 2019
When it comes to nicotine delivery, not all electronic cigarettes are created equally, according to Penn State researchers. New research from Penn State College of Medicine shows that JUUL, a popular pod-based electronic cigarette, can deliver more nicotine at a faster rate than most other types of…
Penn State, PA team up to promote treatments for substance abuse disorders
Oct 31, 2019
The opioid epidemic and larger problems of substance misuse continue to deeply impact communities across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the nation. In 2017, more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States, with Pennsylvania ranking third with the highest rates of death due…
New project to track post-prison trajectories of men living with addiction
Oct 31, 2019
Despite widespread national attention, the opioid epidemic and larger problems of substance use and misuse continue to deeply affect communities across Pennsylvania and throughout the nation. The impact of the opioid crisis and other substance abuse problems hits even harder for people grappling…