AI Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted illicit opioid markets, making it harder for users to access these substances.
- Researchers analyzed 300 Reddit posts from opioid-related discussions to understand these impacts during the early pandemic.
- Their findings revealed that users faced challenges like decreased drug supply and increased reliance on unreliable sources, heightening risks such as fatal overdoses.
Article Abstract
Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected people's ability to buy, sell, and obtain items that they use in their daily lives. It may have had a particularly negative effect on the ability of people who use illicit opioids to obtain them because the networks they relied on are illicit and not part of the formal economy. Our objective in this research was to examine if, and how, disruptions related to COVID-19 of illicit opioid markets have affected people who use illicit opioids.
Method: We collected 300 posts--including replies to posts--related to the intersection of COVID-19 and opioid use from Reddit.com, a forum that has several discussion threads (i.e., subreddits) dedicated to opioids. We then coded posts from the two most popular opioid subreddits during the early pandemic period (March 5, 2020-May 13, 2020) using an inductive/deductive approach.
Results: We found two themes related to active opioid use during the early pandemic: (a) changes in drug supply and difficulty obtaining opioids, and (b) buying less-trustworthy drugs from lesser-known sources.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that COVID-19 has created market conditions that place people who use opioids at risk of adverse outcomes, such as fatal overdose.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10171252 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.15288/jsad.21-00438 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Pre-injury narcotic drug use in isolated severe traumatic brain injury: effect on outcomes.
Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg
January 2025
Division of Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Southern California, 2051 Marengo Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the association between pre-injury narcotic drug use (opioids, methadone, and/or oxycodone) and outcomes in isolated severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients.
Methods: ACS TQIP study included adult trauma patients (≥ 16 years) with complete drug and alcohol screening. Isolated severe TBI was defined as head trauma with AIS 3-5 and without significant extracranial trauma.
Estimating prevalence of opioid misuse in North Carolina counties from 2016-2021: An integrated abundance model approach.
Epidemiology
January 2025
Department of Statistical Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Background: The overdose epidemic remains largely driven by opioids, but county-level prevalence of opioid misuse is unknown. Without this information, public health and policy responses are limited by a lack of knowledge on the scope of the problem.
Methods: Using an integrated abundance model, we estimate annual county-level prevalence of opioid misuse for counties in North Carolina from 2016 to 2021.
Developing a comprehensive inventory to define harm reduction housing.
Harm Reduct J
January 2025
Opioid Policy Research Collaborative, Heller School for Social Policy & Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA.
Background: The City of Boston has faced unprecedented challenges with substance use amidst changes to the illicit drug supply and increased visibility of homelessness. Among its responses, Boston developed six low threshold harm reduction housing (HRH) sites geared towards supporting the housing needs of people who use drugs (PWUD) and addressing health and safety concerns around geographically concentrated tent encampments. HRH sites are transitional supportive housing that adhere to a "housing first" approach where abstinence is not required and harm reduction services and supports are co-located.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResearch Funded by National Institutes of Health Concerning Sexual and Gender Minoritized Populations: A Tracking Update for 2012 to 2022.
Am J Public Health
January 2025
Ben C. D. Weideman, Alexandra M. Ecklund, Rhea Alley, and B. R. Simon Rosser are with the Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. G. Nic Rider is with the Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis.
To investigate trends in awards funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) focusing on sexual and gender minoritized (SGM) populations from 2012 to 2022 in the United States. Replicating the method of Coulter et al., we identified NIH-funded awards for SGM research from 2012 to 2022 using the NIH RePORTER (Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results) system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMindfulness Training vs Recovery Support for Opioid Use, Craving, and Anxiety During Buprenorphine Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA Netw Open
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Importance: During buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), risk factors for opioid relapse or treatment dropout include comorbid substance use disorder, anxiety, or residual opioid craving. There is a need for a well-powered trial to evaluate virtually delivered groups, including both mindfulness and evidence-based approaches, to address these comorbidities during buprenorphine treatment.
Objective: To compare the effects of the Mindful Recovery Opioid Use Disorder Care Continuum (M-ROCC) vs active control among adults receiving buprenorphine for OUD.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!