Quantcast
CultureMass
  • Home
  • Impact
  • Are You Entertained?
  • Life Unfiltered
  • Opinion
  • Best Of the Net
No Result
View All Result
CultureMass

Half As Many People Are Trying Heroin, But Marijuana Use Grows

The survey found that marijuana use, however, increased in 2017, especially among pregnant women and young adults.

Jenny Gold, Kaiser Health News by Jenny Gold, Kaiser Health News
|
September 26, 2018
in Impact
Half As Many People Are Trying Heroin, But Marijuana Use Grows

Photo Credit: Darren Johnson

159
SHARES
338
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Some good news from the front lines of the heroin crisis: Half as many people tried heroin for the first time in 2017 as in 2016. That’s according to data released Friday from the government’s annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

“This is what we were hoping for,” said Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, who directs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “It tells us that we are getting the word out to the American people of the risks of heroin,” especially when the drug is tainted with additional powerful opioids, fentanyl or carfentanil.

The survey found that marijuana use, however, increased in 2017, especially among pregnant women and young adults. McCance-Katz said the increase was likely linked to the growing number of states that have legalized marijuana and the misperception that marijuana is harmless.

McCance-Katz attributed the drop in new heroin users to increased government funding for prevention and public messaging on the local, state and federal levels.

Dr. David Kan, president of the California Society of Addiction Medicine, was surprised by the heroin finding. “This report seems to run counter to the common wisdom that everyone is migrating from prescription medications to heroin,” he said. Still, the number of drug overdose deaths continued to climb to a staggering 72,000 in 2017, with the sharpest increase among people who used fentanyl or other synthetic opioids. “All it takes is one exposure to fentanyl to die,” Kan said.

The survey also found a small increase in the number of people with substance use disorders who receive specialty treatment, particularly heroin and opioid users. Nonetheless, 92 percent of people with substance use disorders do not receive it.

“It’s unacceptable,” said Greg Williams, executive vice president of Facing Addiction, a nonprofit group that advocates for people struggling with substance use disorders. “We’ve had a 90 percent treatment gap in America for the two decades we’ve been tracking it, and we have not been able to close it.” Despite all the news coverage of the drug crisis, he said, “the response has been woefully inadequate.”

As for marijuana, it appears that public health messaging has not been as effective as marketing efforts by the burgeoning cannabis industry. “When you have an industry that does nothing but blanket our society with messages about the medicinal value of marijuana, people get the idea this is a safe substance to use. And that’s not true,” said McCance-Katz.

Cannabis does appear to have medical benefits — in June, for example, the FDA approved the first cannabinoid-derived medication for the treatment of epilepsy. But McCance-Katz said there is already ample evidence that the canadian drug can pose serious health risks, particularly for teenagers, young adults and pregnant women.

The survey found that from 2015 to 2017 the percentage of pregnant women who reported marijuana use more than doubled, to 7.1 percent. Often, they use it to combat nausea and pain, believing it is safer than the FDA-approved drugs prescribed by their doctors. Mounting evidence, however, suggests that marijuana can cause preterm birth and long-term neurological problems in the babies of mothers who use it during pregnancy.

“I’m going to talk about it every chance I get,” said McCance-Katz. “Americans have the right to know that marijuana has risks.”

Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Tags: healthHeroinMarijuanaMental Health
Previous Post

Some Tips To Help You Entertain in Style

Next Post

The “Freshman 15” Is A Myth

Jenny Gold, Kaiser Health News

Jenny Gold, Kaiser Health News

Jenny Gold, Senior Correspondent, covers the health care industry, the ACA and health care disparities for radio and print. Her stories have aired on NPR and been published by USA Today, The Washington Post and many other news organizations. She was previously a Kroc Fellow at NPR, where she covered health and business, and a broadcast associate at the CBS Evening News. She is a graduate of Brown University.

Next Post
The “Freshman 15” Is A Myth

The “Freshman 15” Is A Myth

Discussion about this post

Recommended.

Are Military Films & TV Shows Propaganda or Pride?

Are Military Films & TV Shows Propaganda or Pride?

September 25, 2018
Which Talk Show Host Has Captured Trump’s Voice Best?

Which Talk Show Host Has Captured Trump’s Voice Best?

September 23, 2018
ADVERTISEMENT

Trending.

Inside Meghan Duggan and Gillian Apps Storybook Love

Inside Meghan Duggan and Gillian Apps Storybook Love

September 27, 2018
Malea Tjandrawidjaja Stole The Show And Our Hearts

Malea Tjandrawidjaja Stole The Show And Our Hearts

September 27, 2018
Knives Out Kills With Kindness

Knives Out Kills With Kindness

August 20, 2020
The “Freshman 15” Is A Myth

The “Freshman 15” Is A Myth

September 26, 2018
If You Want To Eat Clean And Green, Is The Future Halal?

If You Want To Eat Clean And Green, Is The Future Halal?

September 27, 2018

From Our Partner

CultureMass

We are independent thinkers fueled by the different cultures we encounter and the conversations of the people that inspire us.

CultureMass is part of CultureMass Media, LLC. © 2020 All rights reserved.

AdChoices
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise
  • Send us a tip
  • Contact Us
  • AdChoices

Follow Us

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

Newsletter

Enter your email to receive our official newsletter. The newsletter is completely free, we won’t send spam, we won’t share your personal information, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Impact
  • Are You Entertained?
  • Life Unfiltered
  • Opinion
  • Best Of the Net

© 2020 CultureMass is part of CultureMass Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

  • Login
  • Register
Lost Your password?
You don't have permission to register
LOGIN