Emerging Drug Trends

Last Updated: Monday August 16, 2021

Youth takes marijuana

Medical, Recreational Marijuana Legalization Associated With Higher Rates of Youth Suicide, Study Shows

Female youth aged 12 to 24 and youth of both sexes aged 14 to 16 living in states with legalized medical marijuana or recreational marijuana between 2000 and 2019 had higher rates of death by suicide than youth in states with no such laws, according to a report in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Man smokes cannabis

Daily Marijuana Use Outpaces Daily Drinking in the US, a New Study Says

For the first time, the number of Americans who use marijuana just about every day has surpassed the number who drink that often, a shift some 40 years in the making as recreational pot use became more mainstream and legal in nearly half of U.S. states.

Scientist with mushrooms

Hallucinogen-Related Emergency Department Visits Surge 54 Percent in California

Observed hallucinogen-associated ED visits increased by 54% between 2016 and 2022, from 2,260 visits to 3,476 visits.

Fentanyl penny

Father Who Lost Son to Fentanyl Shares Story as Warning to Other Parents

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

Overdosechalkboard

Report: Drug Overdose Deaths Surpass 100,000

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

marijuana buds joint vapepen and leaf

Teens and vaping marijuana: Understanding the dangers of ‘dabbing’

(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.

kratom pills and powder on a table

Kratom-Related Poisonings Are Soaring, Study Finds

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

fentanyl and paraphernalia

Fentanyl-Laced Crack Cocaine a Deadly New Threat

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

woman looking at prescription bottle

Doctors and Policymakers Struggle To Keep Up As Opioid Use Surges among Women

(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.

Young person with marijuana joint

Report: Youth Drug Use Decreasing

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