COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Attitudes Within Two Cohorts of Younger Adult Cannabis Users.

It is crucial to understand COVID-19 vaccine uptake and attitudes among young adult cannabis users given the lowest vaccination rates among young adults and negative association between cannabis use and willingness to get vaccinated. 18-21-year-old and 26-33-year-old cohorts of cannabis users, recruited in California, were surveyed about the COVID-19 vaccine uptake/attitudes between March-August 2021. Cannabis use/demographic differences were investigated by vaccination status.

Medicinal cannabis use among young adults during California's transition from legalized medical use to adult-use: a longitudinal analysis.

In 2016, California transitioned from legalized medical cannabis use to adult-use. Little is known about how this policy change affected medicinal cannabis use among young adults. To identify longitudinal groups of medicinal cannabis users and concurrent changes in health- and cannabis use-related characteristics among young adults in Los Angeles between 2014 and 2021.

Pre-Post Cannabis Legalization for Adult Use: A Trend Study of Two Cohorts of Young Adult Cannabis Users in Los Angeles.

Cannabis was legalized for adult use in California in 2016 for individuals 21 and older. Among 18-20-years-olds, who can possess cannabis legally as medical cannabis patients (MCP) but not as non-patient cannabis users (NPU), the impact of adult use legalization (AUL) on cannabis and other substance use is unknown. Two cohorts of 18-20-year-old cannabis users (MCP and NPU) were surveyed, one in 2014-15 ( = 172 "pre-AUL") and another in 2019-20 ( = 139 "post-AUL"), using similar data collection methods in Los Angeles, California.

Mental and Physical Health-Related Cannabis Motives Mediate the Relationship between Childhood Trauma and Problematic Cannabis Use over Time among Emerging Adult Cannabis Users.

Background: While growing evidence has identified mental and physical health-related cannabis use motives as significant mechanisms between childhood trauma and problematic cannabis use (PCU) for emerging adults (EA), there is a need to understand the longitudinal stability of these pathways and how they impact PCU as cannabis users age into later adulthood.

Methods: The current study extends an analysis examining the impact of childhood trauma (e.g.

Understanding Changes in Social Cannabis Use among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Social Network Analysis.

Introduction: As the COVID-19 pandemic has caused historic morbidity and mortality and disrupted young people's social relationships, little is known regarding change in young adults' social cannabis use following social distancing orders, or other factors associated with such changes before and during the pandemic.

Methods: 108 young adult cannabis users in Los Angeles reported on their personal (egocentric) social network characteristics, cannabis use, and pandemic-related variables before (July 2019 - March 2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (August 2020 - August 2021). Multinomial logistic regression identified factors associated with increasing or maintaining the number of network members (alters) participants used cannabis with before and during the pandemic.

Egocentric Network Characteristics and Cannabis Use in a Sample of Young Adult Medical Cannabis Patients and Nonpatient Users.

Objective: Social factors play an important role in young adults' substance use behaviors, but little is known about how egocentric social network factors are related to young adults' cannabis use. Young adults also report medicinal and recreational uses of cannabis, which may alter the strength of these relationships. Therefore, medical cannabis patient status and medicinal/recreational orientation toward cannabis were examined as moderators of these relationships.

A Qualitative Study of Self and Caregiver Perspectives on How Autistic Individuals Cope With Trauma.

Background: Coping can moderate the relationship between trauma exposure and trauma symptoms. There are many conceptualisations of coping in the general population, but limited research has considered how autistic individuals cope, despite their above-average rates of traumatic exposure.

Objectives: To describe the range of coping strategies autistic individuals use following traumatic events.

COVID-19's Impact on Substance Use and Well-Being of Younger Adult Cannabis Users in California: A Mixed Methods Inquiry.

Few qualitative studies have examined the impact of COVID-19 on cannabis and alcohol use, and overall well-being among cannabis users. Cannabis users (aged 26-32) were surveyed quantitatively (n=158) and interviewed qualitatively (n=29) in April 2020-May 2021 in Los Angeles. 63.

Miscarriage and Abortion Among Women Attending Harm Reduction Services in Philadelphia: Correlations With Individual, Interpersonal, and Structural Factors.

Reproductive health research among women who use drugs has focused on pregnancy prevention and perinatal/neonatal outcomes, but there have been few investigations of miscarriage and abortion, including prevalence and associated factors. Using cross-sectional data from a sample of non-pregnant women receiving harm reduction services in Philadelphia in 2016-2017 we examined lifetime miscarriage and abortion (n = 187). Separately for both outcomes, we used modified Poisson regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations with each correlate.

Coping Motives Mediate the Association of Trauma History with Problematic Cannabis Use in Young Adult Medical Cannabis Patients and Non-Patient Cannabis Users.

: Despite evidence of the contribution of childhood trauma to the development of problematic cannabis use, its mediating pathways are largely unknown. Given the link between cannabis motives with trauma and problematic cannabis use, motives of use may represent a construct through which trauma impacts problematic cannabis use. : A sample of 339 medical cannabis patient and non-patient young adult users from the Los Angeles area were sampled at baseline and one year later.

Wearable biosensors have the potential to monitor physiological changes associated with opioid overdose among people who use drugs: A proof-of-concept study in a real-world setting.

Introduction: Wearable biosensors have the potential to monitor physiological change associated with opioid overdose among people who use drugs.

Methods: We enrolled 16 individuals who reported ≥ 4 daily opioid use events within the previous 30 day. Each was assigned a wearable biosensor that measured respiratory rate (RR) and actigraphy every 15 s for 5 days and also completed a daily interview assessing drug use.

Attitudes and beliefs about recreational cannabis legalization among cannabis-using young adults in Los Angeles: Impact on concurrent cannabis practices and problematic cannabis use.

Background: This study investigated differences in attitudes and beliefs about recreational cannabis legalization (RCL) among cannabis-using young adults comprised of medical cannabis patients (MCP) and non-patient users (NPU). We further investigated whether these variations are associated with concurrent cannabis practices and problematic use.

Method: Cannabis-using young adults (N = 301) were interviewed between 2017 and 2018 - after RCL and through the early months after storefront sales began.

Overdose response among trained and untrained women with a history of illicit drug use: a mixed-methods examination.

Little is known about differences in bystander behavior among people who use drugs, trained and untrained in opioid overdose prevention. We examined three types of recommended overdose response - a 911 call, rescue breathing/CPR, and naloxone administration-among Philadelphia-based, predominantly street-involved women with a history of illicit drug use. The study utilized a convergent mixed methods approach integrating data from 186 quantitative survey responses and 38 semi-structured qualitative interviews.

A vicious cycle of neuropathological, cognitive and behavioural sequelae of repeated opioid overdose.

In the midst of an escalating U.S. opioid crisis, the immediate focus of public health interventions is on fatal overdose prevention.

Changes in Medical Cannabis Patient Status before and after Cannabis Legalization in California: Associations with Cannabis and Other Drug Use.

It is unknown how patterns of cannabis and other drug use changed among young adult cannabis users as they became, exited or stayed medical cannabis patients (MCPs) after California legalized cannabis for adult use in 2016. A cohort of 18-26 year-old cannabis users was recruited in Los Angeles in 2014-15 (64.8% male; 44.

Decision-making by laypersons equipped with an emergency response smartphone app for opioid overdose.

Background: Targeted naloxone distribution to potential lay responders increases the timeliness of overdose response and reduces mortality. Little is known, however, about the patterns of decision-making among overdose lay responders. This study explored heuristic decision-making among laypersons equipped with an emergency response smartphone app.

Pain Profiles among Young Adult Cannabis Users: An Analysis of Antecedent Factors and Distal Outcomes.

Background: Pain is a primary reason for medical cannabis use among young adults, however little is known about the patterns of pain in this group. This study identified pain profiles among young adult cannabis users and examined related antecedents and distal outcomes.

Methods: Past 30-day cannabis users aged 18-26, both medical cannabis patients and non-patients, were enrolled in Los Angeles in 2014-2015.

Cannabidiol (CBD) and other drug use among young adults who use cannabis in Los Angeles.

Introduction: Cannabidiol (CBD) is purportedly a promising therapeutic agent to provide relief for a variety of medical conditions with mild or no psychoactive effects. However, little is known about young adults who use cannabis and CBD-dominant products, and associations between CBD use and other drug use.

Methods: Young adults (aged 24-32) who currently used cannabis (n = 239) were surveyed in Los Angeles in March 2019 through March 2020.

"I probably got a minute": Perceptions of fentanyl test strip use among people who use stimulants.

Background: Fentanyl dominates the heroin supply in many regions of the United States. One harm reduction response has been the distribution of fentanyl test strips to people who use heroin to test for the presence of fentanyl. Reports increasingly indicate that fentanyl contamination is occurring in the illicit stimulant market, but whether people who use stimulants would use fentanyl test strips is unknown.

The Role of Life Events/Contextual Factors and Cannabis Use in Patterns of Other Drug Use Among Young Adult Cannabis Users in Los Angeles: A Qualitative Inquiry.

This analysis examined the role of impactful life events/stressful contextual factors and cannabis use in the patterns of illicit drug use. It utilized semi-structured qualitative interviews with 40 young adult medical cannabis patients and 22 non-patient users collected in Los Angeles during 2014-2015. Three patterns of illicit drug use emerged based on participants' narratives: regular/problematic, recreational/occasional, and never users.

Multiple Victimizations and Overdose Among Women With a History of Illicit Drug Use.

The experiences of violence and overdose are highly prevalent among women who use illicit drugs. This study sought to ascertain whether multiple victimizations during adulthood increase the frequency of women's overdose. The sample comprised 218 women recruited at Philadelphia harm reduction sites during 2016-2017.

The heterogeneous effect of marijuana decriminalization policy on arrest rates in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2009-2018.

Background: Marijuana decriminalization holds potential to reduce health inequities. However, limited attention has focused on assessing the impact of decriminalization policies across different populations. This study aims to determine the differential effect of a marijuana decriminalization policy change in Philadelphia, PA on marijuana arrests by demographic characteristics.

Developmental trajectories of illicit drug use, prescription drug misuse and cannabis practices among young adult cannabis users in Los Angeles.

Introduction And Aims: Young adults have the highest rates of drug use and contribute significantly to the growing population of medical cannabis patients (MCP). This study examined relationships between longitudinal patterns of illicit/prescription drug use/misuse and cannabis practices among young adult cannabis users.

Design And Methods: In 2014-2015, 210 young adult MCP and 156 nonpatient users were recruited in Los Angeles and surveyed annually over four waves.

Circumstances of overdose among street-involved, opioid-injecting women: Drug, set, and setting.

Introduction: Current discourses about the causes of the overdose crisis largely focus on the harmful effects of drugs. Prior research, however, indicates that drug use experience is shaped by complex interactions of drugs with physiological and mental "sets" of people who use drugs and the wider social and physical "setting." Zinberg's "drug, set, and setting" theoretical framework was applied to identify patterns in circumstances leading up to women's overdose.