Events and announcements 

• Performance based substance use prevention  (Prevention First) - Jan. 22 from 2 to 3:15 p.m. 

• Equipping professionals to tackle synthetic drug challenges in prevention (PTTC Network) - Jan. 28 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. 

• Reviving youth survey participation: Strategies for boosting response rates (PTTC Network) - Jan. 30 from 12:30 - 2 p.m. 

• The alcohol retail environment: Emerging hazards to public safety (Prevention First) - Jan 30. From 2 to 3:30 p.m. 

• Considering culture in preventing drug use among college students (Campus Drug Prevention) - Feb 5. from 9:30 to 11 a.m. 

• U.S. Surgeon General issues new advisory on link between alcohol and cancer risk (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)  

• Brain structure differences are associated with early use of substances among adolescents (National Institutes of Health)  

• Reported use of most drugs among adolescents remained low in 2024 (National Institutes of Health) 

New resources! 

• Review of Evidence on Alcohol and Health (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine) 

• Jan. 2025: Cannabis Use in Minnesota: A Report to the Legislature, 2025 (PDF) (Minnesota Department of Health) This report shares data collected between 2016 and 2024 on cannabis use prior to adult use legalization in Minnesota  

Data and research 

• A place of last drink initiative: Effects on various types of crime (Substance Use & Misuse) 

• Notes from the field: Geo-temporal trends in fentanyl administration routes among adults reporting use of illegally manufactured fentanyl when assessed for substance-use treatment — 14 U.S. states, 2017–2023 (MMWR) 

• Notes from the field: Severe health outcomes linked to consumption of mushroom-based psychoactive microdosing products — Arizona, June–October 2024 (MMWR) 

• Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2024: Overview and detailed results for secondary school students (University of Michigan Institute for Social Research) 

• Advanced child tax credit monthly payments and substance use among US parents (JAMA Health Forum) 

• US Tobacco 21 policies and potential mortality reductions by state (JAMA Health Forum) 

• The impact of fentanyl on American Indian and Alaskan Native communities (The Brookings Institution) 

• Prospective association of tobacco retailer density and neighbourhood walkability with youth vaping initiation in California, USA (Tobacco Control) 

Alcohol 

• Surgeon general calls for cancer warnings on alcohol (The New York Times) 

• The U.S. surgeon general wants cancer warnings on alcohol. Here’s why (MPR News) 

• Kicking off the new year with Dry January? Here are six tips for success (NIAAA) 

• Newsweek: ARG senior scientist talks about alcohol policies that could curb binge drinking (Alcohol Research Group)  

• How drinking alcohol can affect your health (AP News) 

Cannabis 

• Shops selling cannabis products need to be regulated, N.C. child advocacy group says (NC Health News) 

• "The Tea on THC" campaign aims to educate about dangers of high THC cannabis in Colorado (CBS News) 

• An overview of Minnesota’s cannabis industry in 2024 and what to expect in 2025 (MPR News) 

• As marijuana use grows, effect on road safety remains a blind spot (The New York Times) 

Opioids and prescription drugs 

• How are states spending opioid settlement cash? We built a database of answers (KFF Health News) 

• Stimulant users are caught in fatal 'fourth wave' of opioid epidemic (KFF Health News) 

• Why are K’nyaw and Karenni teens at risk of opioid abuse in Minnesota? And what solutions work?  (Sahan Journal) 

• Choctaw Nation found a better way to deliver harm reduction. It's working. (Native News Online) 

Commercial tobacco and e-cigarettes 

• Denver City Council votes to end sale of flavored tobacco products, delivering win for kids over Big Tobacco (Tobacco Free Kids) 

• For young users, tobacco packets like Zyn are a nicotine trend that just won’t quit (CNN) 

• Can oral nicotine pouches like Zyn help people quit vaping nicotine? (Truth Initiative) 

• 2024 Monitoring the Future survey shows persistent nicotine dependence despite meaningful gains in reducing youth e-cigarette use (Truth Initiative) 

• Triple threat: The hidden dangers of e-cigarettes, oral nicotine pouches and heat-not-burn products (American Heart Association) 

Other drugs 

• WA sees spike in new chemicals in street drugs, fentanyl (Seattle Times) 

Psychedelic medicine 

• State task force recommends decriminalization of psychedelics in new report (MPR) 

• Psychedelic Medicine Task Force legislative report (MN Psychedelic Medicine Task Force) 

• Psychedelic healing centers are coming to Colorado in 2025. Here’s what to expect (CPR) 

• Experts warn of mental health risks after rise in magic mushroom use (The Guardian) 

• MindMed announces first patient dosed in Phase 3 voyage study of MM120 in generalized anxiety disorder (BioSpace)