Events and announcements 

• Alcohol policy 101: Overview and updates (PTTC Network) - Aug 21 from 11 a.m. to noon 

• Saving lives where they’re lived: Street medicine & overdose prevention in action (National Overdose Prevention Network) - Aug. 26 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. 

• Social media’s impact on youth substance use and mental health (PTTC Network) - Aug. 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 

• Meth use in focus: Leveraging qualitative data for effective prevention, part 2 (PTTC Network) - Aug. 27 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. 

• The future of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids (RAND Policy Labs) - Aug. 28 from 11 a.m. to noon 

• Senate advances HHS funding bill that rejects Trump’s proposed cuts (Partnership to End Addiction) 

• FDA requires major changes to opioid pain medication labeling to emphasize risks (FDA) 

• Release of the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Leveraging the latest substance use and mental health data to make America healthy again (SAMHSA) 

• Now Open: Request for proposals: Reducing the burden of menthol and flavored commercial tobacco products through policy change (MDH) — Proposals due Monday, September 9, by 4 p.m. Central Time 

• Now Open: Request for proposals: Community-driven approaches to address commercial tobacco use (MDH) — Proposals due Friday, October 10, by 4 p.m. Central Time 

New resources! 

• Check out the latest episode of the “Minnesota drug talk” video series and learn about innovative recovery housing projects gaining steam across Minnesota.  

• The Minnesota Department of Health recently published a new webpage on nicotine pouches and other emerging products to help community members stay informed about the rapidly evolving landscape of commercial tobacco products. 

• New report from Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN): Opioid-involved ED visits in the United States 

• CDC launches new campaign targeting substance use and mental health in adolescents: Free mind 

• The Minnesota Department of Health published a new cannabis materials webpage, which will house cannabis education resources. This webpage is intended to address the immediate communication needs of the public regarding cannabis use. As new tools and materials are developed, MDH will continue to add them to this webpage. 

Data and research 

• Tetrahydrocannabinol intoxication from food at a restaurant — Wisconsin, October 2024 (MMWR) 

• Alcohol access: State-identification check failure rates in the age of e-commerce (Health Behavior and Policy Review) 

• Use of tobacco and cannabis following state-level cannabis legalization (JAMA Network Open) 

• Product characteristics, warnings, and marketing appeals conveyed on delta-8 THC product packaging in the U.S. and Canada (Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Other Drugs) 

• Social media use, cannabis attitudes, and cannabis use among adolescents: An observational study (Preventive Medicine Reports) 

• Cannabis vaping in youth: A systematic review and meta-analysis of risk factors in adolescents and young adults (Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Other Drugs) 

• Tobacco product use among youth: The intersection of sexual identity and race/ethnicity (Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse) 

• Co-involvement of stimulants with opioids in North America: A 'silent epidemic' (PLOS Mental Health) 

• The American fentanyl epidemic: Geographic variation in mortality and policy implications  (Health Affairs Scholar) 

• Implementation of a statewide fentanyl possession law and opioid-related overdose deaths (JAMA Health Forum) 

Alcohol 

• U.S. drinking rate at new low as alcohol concerns surge (Gallup News) 

• Stillwater considers ‘social district,’ where people could drink alcohol in a specified public area (KSTP News) 

• Recall issued over energy drinks mistakenly containing vodka (AP News) 

• Study says ChatGPT giving teens dangerous advice on drugs, alcohol and suicide (AP News) 

• Alcohol-related liver disease has more than doubled in the last 20 years (Keck Medicine of USC) 

Cannabis 

• Congress targets intoxicating hemp product loophole (Partnership to End Addiction) 

• Albert Lea City Council blocks first cannabis retailer (MPR News) 

• Duluth business owner on track to open first non-tribal cannabis dispensary (MPR News) 

• Blazing new trails: These 13 Minnesota cities are considering municipal cannabis stores (MinnPost) 

• First detection of cannabis in breath from edibles (Medical Xpress) 

• Cannabis poisonings are rising, mostly among kids (The New York Times) 

• Michigan cannabis company recalls several vapes over MCT oil (CBS News) 

• More adolescents vaping cannabis and synthetics, study finds (JAMA Network News) 

Opioids  

• FDA mandates new opioid safety labels (Partnership to End Addiction) 

• Group behind McGruff the Crime Dog questions fentanyl PSA program cut (NPR) 

• Little-known synthetic opioid nitazene is up to 43 times more deadly than fentanyl, resistant to Narcan and killing young Americans (New York Post) 

• New website shows how opioid settlement funds are helping Pennsylvanians (Pennsylvania State University) 

Commercial tobacco and e-cigarettes 

• Juul gets FDA's OK to keep selling tobacco and menthol e-cigarettes (AP News) 

• A closer look at the FDA's authorization of Juul e-cigarettes (Public Health Law Center) 

• Vaping epidemic: Are teens’ lungs at risk? (Medscape) 

Psychedelic medicine 

• Brain scans reveal who may benefit most from MDMA for trauma-related symptoms (PsyPost) 

• MDMA ‘significantly reduced’ major depressive disorder symptoms, new research concludes (Marijuana Moment) 

• Could psilocybin be the secret to living longer? Scientists think so (VICE) 

• Compass Pathways’ Phase III study on COMP360: A potential breakthrough in treating depression (The Globe and Mail) 

• The paradox of expectations in psychedelic clinical research (Psychology Today) 

• UC Irvine tapped to bring psychedelic therapy education to nursing students (UC Irvine News) 

• CU Denver opens applications for psychedelic training program (Axios Denver) 

• Study: Using cannabis and psilocybin together may increase dependence (CU Boulder) 

Other drugs 

• Minnesota sees spike in overdoses involving sedatives: "Naloxone isn't going to help" (CBS Minnesota) 

• FDA targets kratom compound for regulation (Partnership to End Addiction) 

• Feds launch crackdown on kratom byproduct (Axios)