Candy colors, THC inside: How cannabis edibles are tricking teen brains

Drug Facts - Sat, 2025-06-28 00:38
Teens are being misled by cannabis edibles dressed up like health foods. Bright colors, fruit imagery, and words like vegan make these products look fun, natural, and safe even when they re not. A WSU study warns that this could increase the risk of underage use and urges new packaging rules based on what actually appeals to teens.
Categories: Drug Facts

Cannabis use among seniors surges 46% in two years—Study reveals

Drug Facts - Sat, 2025-06-07 21:16
Cannabis use among older Americans has climbed dramatically, with 7% of adults 65 and older now reporting recent use. This rise isn't just in numbers but also in diversity older users today are more likely to be women, college-educated, and higher-income. Researchers suggest legalization and growing social acceptance are contributing factors, especially in states with medical marijuana laws. The trend is especially notable among those with chronic illnesses, raising both opportunities and concerns for medical professionals trying to balance symptom relief with the complexities of aging.
Categories: Drug Facts

Clinical research on psychedelics gets a boost from new study

Drug Facts - Tue, 2025-06-03 09:48
As psychedelics gain traction as potential treatments for mental health disorders, an international study stands to improve the rigor and reliability of clinical research.
Categories: Drug Facts

Record high: Study finds growing cannabis use among older adults

Drug Facts - Mon, 2025-06-02 20:54
Marijuana use among older adults in the US has reached a new high, with 7 percent of adults aged 65 and over who report using it in the past month, according to a recent analysis.
Categories: Drug Facts

Nearly five million seized seahorses just 'tip of the iceberg' in global wildlife smuggling

Drug Facts - Wed, 2025-05-28 11:22
Close to five million smuggled seahorses worth an estimated CAD$29 million were seized by authorities over a 10-year span, according to a new study that warns the scale of the trade is far larger than current data suggest. The study analyzed online seizure records from 2010 to 2021 and found smuggling incidents in 62 countries, with dried seahorses, widely used in traditional medicine, most commonly intercepted at airports in passenger baggage or shipped in sea cargo.
Categories: Drug Facts

Whether it's smoking or edibles, marijuana can be bad for your heart, study suggests

Drug Facts - Wed, 2025-05-28 11:15
A new study finds that chronic cannabis use -- whether it's smoked or consumed in edible form -- is associated with significant cardiovascular risks.
Categories: Drug Facts

Tiny genetic switch found to control brain balance and behavior

Drug Facts - Thu, 2025-05-22 10:55
Researchers have identified a remarkably small but critical piece of genetic code that helps determine how brain cells connect, communicate, and function. The discovery not only deepens our understanding of how the brain's wiring is built but may also explain the origins of several neurological and psychiatric conditions.
Categories: Drug Facts

A potential 'anti-spice' that could dial down the heat of fiery food

Drug Facts - Thu, 2025-05-22 10:48
If you've ever regretted ordering a spicy meal, take note: A new study identifying molecules that suppress the heat of chili peppers hints at the possibility of adapting these compounds into an 'anti-spice' condiment for food that's too fiery to eat. The research helps explain differences in chili pepper pungency, or spiciness, by identifying three compounds in a range of pepper samples that chemical analysis predicted, and study participants on a tasting panel confirmed, are linked to lower heat intensity.
Categories: Drug Facts

Scientists discover new way the brain learns

Drug Facts - Wed, 2025-05-14 09:10
Neuroscientists have discovered that the brain uses a dual system for learning through trial and error. This is the first time a second learning system has been identified, which could help explain how habits are formed and provide a scientific basis for new strategies to address conditions related to habitual learning, such as addictions and compulsions. The study in mice could also have implications for developing therapeutics for Parkinson's.
Categories: Drug Facts

AI-designed DNA controls genes in healthy mammalian cells for first time

Drug Facts - Thu, 2025-05-08 09:23
A recent study marks the first reported instance of generative AI designing synthetic molecules that can successfully control gene expression in healthy mammalian cells. As a proof-of-concept, the authors of the study asked the AI to design synthetic fragments which activate a gene coding for a fluorescent protein in some cells while leaving gene expression patterns unaltered. They created the fragments from scratch and dropped them into mouse blood cells, where the sequence fused with the genome at random locations. The experiments worked exactly as predicted and pave the way for new strategies to give instructions to a cell and guide how they develop and behave with unprecedented accuracy.
Categories: Drug Facts

Groundbreaking device instantly detects dangerous street drugs, offering hope for harm reduction

Drug Facts - Wed, 2025-05-07 11:06
Groundbreaking device instantly detects dangerous street drugs, offering hope for harm reduction A portable device that instantly detects illicit street drugs at very low concentrations, thereby highlighting the risks they pose. The device has the potential to address the growing global problem of people unknowingly taking drugs that have been mixed with undeclared substances, including synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and nitazenes.
Categories: Drug Facts

Cannabis study: Legalization reduces problematic consumption, particularly among certain individuals

Drug Facts - Wed, 2025-05-07 11:00
Researchers are investigating how the legal supply of cannabis affects consumption and mental health among participants. In a first academic publication, the study team has now reported on the direct comparison of the substance's legal versus illegal procurement.
Categories: Drug Facts

Evidence review raises concern about cannabis use in pregnancy

Drug Facts - Mon, 2025-05-05 18:49
A systematic evidence review finds that consuming cannabis while pregnant appears to increase the odds of preterm birth, low birth weight and infant death.
Categories: Drug Facts

A digestive 'treasure chest' shows promise for targeted drug treatment in the gut

Drug Facts - Thu, 2025-05-01 14:40
A new approach to drug design can deliver medicine directly to the gut in mice at significantly lower doses than current inflammatory bowel disease treatments. The proof-of-concept study introduced a mechanism called 'GlycoCaging' that releases medicine exclusively to the lower gut at doses up to 10 times lower than current therapies.
Categories: Drug Facts

Study links childhood trauma to increased substance use and unexpected effects on heart rate and blood pressure in adolescents

Drug Facts - Wed, 2025-04-30 12:22
Childhood trauma significantly increases the likelihood of engaging in harmful alcohol consumption, smoking and illicit drug use, by the age of 18.
Categories: Drug Facts

Mindfulness therapy reduces opioid craving and addiction, study finds

Drug Facts - Wed, 2025-04-30 12:20
Researchers found that Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) can help rewire the brain's response to natural healthy pleasure, leading to reduced opioid cravings. The findings suggest that MORE could be a promising tool in the fight against opioid use disorder.
Categories: Drug Facts

Nearly one-quarter of e-Scooter injuries involved substance impaired riders

Drug Facts - Tue, 2025-04-29 17:53
About 25% of 7350 patients hospitalized for scooter-related injuries between 2016 and 2021 were using substances such as alcohol, opioids, marijuana and cocaine when injured. The findings underscore the urgent need to strengthen safety regulations, enforce helmet use, and reduce substance use among scooter riders.
Categories: Drug Facts

First synthetic 'mini prion' shows how protein misfolding multiplies

Drug Facts - Mon, 2025-04-28 20:04
Prions transmit their abnormally folded shape onto other proteins. Researchers designed a synthetic fragment of the tau protein that exhibits prion-like behavior. Misfolded tau proteins are the hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. Study revealed crucial role of water organization in the tau misfolding process.
Categories: Drug Facts

Physical and psychological symptoms of ketamine abuse revealed in research

Drug Facts - Mon, 2025-04-28 20:02
Ketamine addiction is linked to high levels of physical health problems and psychological consequences, with nearly half of those affected not seeking support or treatment, new research has revealed.
Categories: Drug Facts

Cinnamon could affect drug metabolism in the body

Drug Facts - Thu, 2025-04-24 14:56
Cinnamon is one of the oldest and most commonly used spices in the world, but a new study indicates a compound in it could interfere with some prescription medications.
Categories: Drug Facts

Pages

RMC facebook RMC twitter
Scroll to Top