Emerging Drug Trends

As students head back to school, advocates for drug awareness are urging parents to be aware of the ongoing fentanyl epidemic.

(Associated Press, November 18) For the first time ever, drug overdose deaths in the U.S. surpassed 100,000 during a 12-month period.

(Chicago Sun-Times, March 5) Among U.S. teens, vaping (the use of e-cigarettes) continues to be very popular.  Dabbing – using an e-cigarette to ingest marijuana concentrates – is also gaining in popularity.

​(Health Day News, February 21) U.S. poison control centers are seeing an increase in calls related to the herbal substance kratom.

(HealthDay News, October 31) Fentanyl-laced drugs are behind a growing number of overdoses in the United States.

(Huffington Post, July 25) While men have higher rates of substance use than women nationwide, opioid use among women appears to be on the rise.

Youth drug use has been on a steady decline during the past decade, according to the latest Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) report. 

A recent survey on teen drug use revealed that while painkiller use is down, “vaping” (the use of e-cigarettes) is popular among teens.

Students who never used marijuana in high school are more likely to start if they go to college.

(Associated Press, May 4) The opioid – which looks like a concrete mix -- is responsible for a rash of overdoses in Alabama, Georgia and Ohio.