Drug overdose deaths among women 1999-2021 in the United States: Differences by race, ethnicity, and age.

Background: The U.S. drug overdose epidemic is increasingly severe and steep increases have been seen among women.

Adverse effects of criminal legal system involvement: a qualitative study examining the role of incarceration and reentry on substance use trajectories among women with opioid use disorders.

Background: Women with substance use disorders (SUDs) often experience adversity related to incarceration and reentry that can impact their substance use outcomes. This study aims to examine the adverse effects of incarceration and reentry on substance use outcomes among women with a history of opioid use disorder (OUD).

Methods: We carried out 42 semi-structured interviews (May-July 2022) with women with a history of criminal legal involvement and OUD (n = 20), criminal legal professionals (n = 10), and SUD treatment professionals (n = 12).

Substance Use Treatment Utilization Among Individuals With Substance Use Disorders in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings on the Role of Polysubstance Use, Criminal Justice Involvement, and Mental Illness From the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

This study used the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to assess a nationally representative sample (N = 4596) weighted to represent 35.2 million adults with DSM-5 criteria-determined substance use disorders (SUDs). This study explored substance use treatment utilization in 2020, emphasizing populations with high vulnerability (e.

The impact of family systems and social networks on substance use initiation and recovery among women with substance use disorders.

Objective: While social networks influence individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs), the mechanisms for such influence are under-explored among women who use drugs. This study triangulates the perspectives of criminal justice professionals, SUD treatment professionals, and women with past and current experiences with substance use to explore these dynamics.

Method: We conducted semistructured interviews ( = 42) in 2022 with women with current or past opioid use disorder ( = 20), SUD treatment professionals ( = 12), and criminal justice professionals ( = 10) who work with women with opioid use disorder.

Regional differences in fatal drug overdose deaths among Black and White individuals in the United States, 2012-2021.

Background And Objectives: The current study examines regional differences in Black/White fatal drug overdoses.

Methods: Black/White overdose mortality data (2012-2021; N = 537,085) were retrieved from CDC WONDER. We used death counts and corresponding Census Bureau population estimates by the decedent's age and race/ethnicity to calculate mortality rate ratios.

Women and Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Contributors to Treatment Success From the Perspectives of Women in Recovery, Women With Past Attempts in Drug Treatment, and Health and Criminal Justice Professionals.

Introduction: The disproportionate incidence of opioid use disorder (OUD) and the alarming increases in opioid-related overdose deaths among women highlight a clear need for the expansion of effective harm reduction and treatment practices. Research supports medications for opioid use disorders (MOUD) as an effective intervention; however, with low rates of utilization of such, there is a need to identify factors that facilitate MOUD treatment uptake and retention for women. Thus, the current study examines contributors to treatment success through the triangulation of perspectives from affected women as well as health and criminal justice professionals.

Pregnancy- and parenting-related barriers to receiving medication for opioid use disorder: A multi-paneled qualitative study of women in treatment, women who terminated treatment, and the professionals who serve them.

Background: Women face unique barriers when seeking treatment for substance use disorders, often related to pregnancy and parenting.

Objectives: This study adds to the extant literature by elucidating the pregnancy- and parenting-related barriers women face when initiating or continuing medication for opioid use disorder, specifically.

Design: This study is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Heroin, Methamphetamine, and Cocaine Use, Treatment, and Mortality Trends in 3 National Data Sources-United States, 2010-2019.

Background: As overdose deaths continue to rise, public health officials need comprehensive surveillance data to design effective prevention, harm reduction, and treatment strategies. Disparities across race and ethnicity groups, as well as trends in substance use, treatment, or overdose deaths, have been examined individually, but reports rarely compare findings across multiple substances or data sources.

Objective: To provide a broad assessment of the overdose crisis, we describe trends in substance use, treatment, and overdose mortality across racial and ethnic groups for multiple substances.

Understanding Regional Patterns of Overdose Deaths Related to Opioids and Psychostimulants.

Background: As overdose rates increase for multiple substances, policymakers need to identify geographic patterns of substance-specific deaths. In this study, we describe county-level opioid and psychostimulant overdose patterns and how they correlate with county-level social vulnerability measures.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study, we used nationwide 2016-2018 restricted access Centers for Disease Prevention and Control county-level mortality files for 1,024 counties.

Impacts of intergenerational substance use and trauma among black women involved in the criminal justice system: A longitudinal analysis.

Introduction: Intergenerational substance use and trauma disproportionately impact racialized women. Yet, how these factors impact outcomes in women involved in the criminal justice system is understudied.

Methods: Using data from 443 participants in the Black Women in a Study of Epidemics, we assessed the impact of intergenerational substance use and trauma on participant drug use and open Child Protective Services (CPS) cases over 18 months.

Serious Psychological Distress, Substance Use Disorders, and Social Issues Among Men and Women in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose: This study assesses the association between SUD, economic hardship, gender, and related risk and protective factors on serious psychological distress (SPD) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: Quantitative cross-sectional design.

Setting: National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

The role of polysubstance use on criminal justice involvement in the United States.

Purpose Of Review: Polysubstance use, broadly defined as using more than one type of substance, disproportionately impacts those involved in the criminal justice system (CJS). This review synthesizes recent findings on polysubstance use among those involved in the CJS and highlights areas of particular concern and interventions.

Recent Findings: We use 18 recent articles to identify the prevalence and types of criminal justice involvement and correlates of polysubstance use and criminal justice involvement.

Age-specific disparities in fatal drug overdoses highest among older black adults and American Indian/Alaska native individuals of all ages in the United States, 2015-2020.

Introduction: Increasing disparities within and between racial/ethnic groups in overdose deaths underscore the need to identify drivers and patterns to optimize overdose prevention strategies. We assess age-specific mortality rates (ASMR) in drug overdose deaths by race/ethnicity in 2015-2019 and 2020.

Methods: Data were from the CDC Wonder, and included information for N = 411,451 deceased individuals in the United States (2015-2020) with a drug overdose-attributed cause of death (ICD-10 codes: X40-X44, X60-X64, X85, Y10-Y14).

A scoping review of the opioid epidemic among U.S. Immigrants: Implications for treatment practices.

The purpose of this review was to identify knowledge gaps within the literature regarding the impact of opioid use disorder, specific to immigrants in the United States, by addressing the following questions: 1) What is presented in the literature about the impact of opioid use disorder (OUD) and the opioid epidemic on immigrants in the United States?; and 2) What role does culture play in the opioid use disorder experiences of immigrants in the United States? Nineteen research articles were uncovered that addressed immigrants in the U.S. and opioid use disorder.

Medical Cannabis Laws and Adolescent Alcohol Use Initiation.

Background: The effects of medical cannabis laws (MCLs) on adolescent alcohol use remains unclear. Previous literature investigates alcohol consumption rather than alcohol initiation among adolescents, and does not examine the effect by sociodemographic characteristics and state-level dispensary status. We used population representative, state-level data to examine the relationship between MCLs and adolescent alcohol initiation.

Non-engagement in substance use treatment among women with an unmet need for treatment: A latent class analysis on multidimensional barriers.

Background: Women with substance use disorders experience multifaceted barriers in accessing substance use treatment. Little is known about how these barriers may aggregate. Using a person-centered approach, this study evaluates patterns of treatment barriers and the factors associated with experiencing distinct sets of barriers among women.

Associations between prescription and illicit stimulant and opioid use in the United States, 2015-2020.

Introduction: Overdose deaths involving opioids and stimulants continue to reach unprecedented levels in the United States. Although significant attention has been paid to the relationship between prescription and illicit opioid use, little work has focused on the association between prescription and illicit stimulant use. Thus, this study explores characteristics of those who use or misuse prescription stimulants and/or opioids and associations with use of cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin.

Fentanyl overdose concerns among people who inject drugs: The role of sex, racial minority status, and overdose prevention efforts.

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) have an elevated risk of fentanyl-related overdoses. This study explores fentanyl overdose concerns among PWID and the role of sex, racial minority status, and overdose prevention efforts in these concerns.

Method: Data were from 498 PWID from Baltimore City, MD, recruited using street-based outreach between 2016 and 2019.

State Medical Marijuana Laws and Initiation of Cigarettes among Adolescents in the U.S., 1991-2015.

Objective: Although cigarette use has declined among adolescents, marijuana use has increased in subgroups of this population. The association between medical marijuana laws (MMLs) and cigarette initiation among adolescents, however, needs further examination. We investigated the association between MMLs and age of cigarette initiation and stratified findings by gender, race/ethnicity, and state dispensary status.

Medical marijuana laws (MMLs) and dispensary provisions not associated with higher odds of adolescent marijuana or heavy marijuana use: A 46 State Analysis, 1991-2015.

: States are rapidly moving to reverse marijuana prohibition, most frequently through legalization of medical marijuana laws (MMLs), and there is concern that marijuana legalization may affect adolescent marijuana use. This natural-experimental study used state Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data collected from participants in grades 9-12 from 1991 to 2015 in 46 states ( = 1,091,723). Taking advantage of heterogeneity across states in MML status and MML dispensary design, difference-in-difference estimates compared states with enacted MMLs/dispensaries to non-MML/dispensaries states.