IAS in the News
-
Physicians Weekly: USPSTF: Primary Care Still the Place to Keep Kids Tobacco-Free 04/2020
The evidence report on which the updated guidelines are based highlighted “significant gaps [in evidence], such as the absence of large trials testing primary care-relevant interventions (behavioral counseling or medication) to promote youth tobacco use cessation and any intervention research addressing e-cigarette prevention or cessation in youth,” noted Adam M. Leventhal, PhD.
-
Buzzfeed: Opinion: Resist The Authoritarian Response To The Coronavirus 03/2020
“Literally every day they are breaking up homeless encampments,” Bluthenthal said. “They clean up 40 locations a day. Occasionally they’ll make a public health argument for it, but sometimes they won’t. Because the truth is that breaking up the encampments is about political realities; it’s not about the health of the homeless people or the health of the community.”
-
Business Insider: The trauma of the coronavirus pandemic could cause a nationwide spike in alcohol and drug use, experts say 03/2020
"People are dealing with trauma and stress," Dr. Adam Leventhal, the founding director of the Health, Emotion, & Addiction Laboratory at the University of Southern California, told Business Insider, "and we know that other stressors and traumatic incidents — other types of disasters — have led people to increase their substance use."
-
US News & World Report: Opioid Withdrawal Raises Health Risks for Injection Drug Users: Study 03/2020
"Withdrawal is one of the main chronic health challenges for this population, and we need to be intervening on it," said lead author Ricky Bluthenthal. He's associate dean for social justice at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, in Los Angeles.
-
FactCheck.Org - Q&A on the FDA’s Flavored E-Cig Policy 01/2020
Adam Leventhal, an addiction psychologist and public health scientist at the University of Southern California and a co-author on the JAMA paper, said in a phone interview that there “are no data” on whether or not teens would make the mint-to-menthol switch, but there is “reason to be concerned.”
-
FDA: FDA finalizes enforcement policy on unauthorized flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes that appeal to children, including fruit and mint 01/2020
Additional data from another federal survey further underscore that youth are particularly attracted to e-cigarette flavors such as fruit and mint, much more so than tobacco or menthol flavored e-cigarettes. In particular, evidence shows that youth exposure to nicotine can adversely affect the developing adolescent brain and that, compared with non-users, youth who use e-cigarettes are more likely to try conventional cigarettes in the future.
-
USC - Research that makes a difference in health, the environment and more 12/2019
Four studies by Adam Leventhal, director of the USC Institute for Addiction Science and professor at the Keck School and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, characterized the scope of the teen vaping epidemic and shaped the conversation around proposed federal regulations on e-cigarettes. Among the findings: Mint, rather than fruit or candy flavors, is preferred by teens and thus any regulations that exclude it would likely be ineffective. Also, e-cigs aren’t a deterrent to teen smoking, and teens who try flavored e-cigs are more likely to not only continue using the products but use them more heavily.
-
CNN: Hangovers: Why you get them and how to fight them off 12/2019
To fill this knowledge gap, our lab is working with colleagues to see if we can find scientific evidence for or against potential hangover remedies. We've focused on the benefits of dihydromyricetin, a Chinese herbal medicine that is currently available and formulated as a dietary supplement for hangover reduction or prevention.
-
WCTV - Are lawmakers hearing both sides of the recreational marijuana debate? 12/2019
Members heard from economics professor Dr. Rosalie Pacula with the University of Southern California. She cautioned of regulatory mistakes made by previous state’s that have legalized. “States cannot regulate cannabis like alcohol or tobacco,” said Pacula.
-
USC: A key to the opioid crisis may be knowing why some brains are more easily addicted 11/2019
“Addiction is a disease of decision-making,” said Bechara. “The majority of people have intact brain mechanisms of decision-making that keep them resilient to succumbing to an addiction. The question is, who is more vulnerable and how do we best determine that?”
-
Capital and Main: Homeless Opioid Deaths Force Change in L.A. Jails 11/2019
“It’s not always easy attributing substance-use disorders to a cause of death,” says Rebecca Trotzky-Sirr, medical director of urgent care at L.A. County-USC Medical Center, which has one of the largest and busiest emergency rooms in the country. “A person can die from liver failure after years of drinking alcohol. Or have heart disease that came from a prior history of smoking methamphetamine, even when they have not used in a long time.”
-
CNN: E-cigarettes aren't a 'gateway' to teen smoking, study says 11/2019
Adam Leventhal, director of the USC Institute for Addiction Science, said "this a cross-sectional study taken at a single snapshot in time," which makes it "very difficult to draw any conclusions about any causal relation between e-cigarette use and combustible cigarette use."
-
Medical News - Teen e-cigarette use epidemic blamed on flavoured cartridges 10/2019
Adam Leventhal, director of the USC Institute for Addiction Science and professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, in a statement said, “While many children try e-cigarettes, not all become regular users. Teens who use e-cigarettes may be more inclined to continue vaping rather than just temporarily experiment with e-cigs. Whether or not children continue vaping is important -- the longer and more frequently you vape, the more you're exposing yourself to toxins in e-cigarette aerosol and put yourself at risk for nicotine addiction.”
-
Journalist's Resource: The opioid prescribing problem: A JR long read 10/2019
“There’s a lot more prescribing of opioids by nurses and physician assistants, where they are state-by-state allowed to prescribe them,” says Sarah Axeen, the study’s author and assistant professor of research in the department of emergency medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “That hasn’t been highlighted in the same way [as physicians’ prescribing practices].”
-
Technology Networks - Novel Treatment Strategies Could Help Combat the Opioid Crisis 10/2019
“Addiction is a disease of decision-making; the majority of people have intact brain mechanisms of decision-making that keep them resilient to succumbing to an addiction,” says Antoine Bechara, lead author on the report and a psychological scientist at the University of Southern California. “But a small percentage have a weakness in this mechanism and they are rendered more vulnerable.
-
US News - Flavored E-Cigarettes Get Teens Hooked on Vaping, Study Finds 10/2019
"Whether or not children continue vaping is important -- the longer and more frequently you vape, the more you're exposing yourself to toxins in e-cigarette aerosol and put yourself at risk for nicotine addiction," Leventhal said in a university news release.
-
US News - Flavored E-Cigarette Use Soars Among Young Adults 09/2019
"We know that sales of 'pod-mod' style e-cigarette products, such as Juul, with high nicotine concentrations and fruit and minty flavors, are climbing," said researcher Adam Leventhal, director of the University of Southern California Institute for Addiction Science. "Young adults overwhelmingly prefer e-cigarette flavors not present in regular cigarettes."
-
The Hill - The unanticipated consequences of vaping: Implications for policy 08/2019
In adults, e-cigarettes may serve as a substitute for combustible cigarettes. Earlier models of e-cigarettes predicted a decrease in the risk for nicotine addiction compared with traditional cigarettes. However, the most popular “pod mod” products tend to contain high levels of nicotine that maintains if not reinforces the addiction.
-
Rush PR News - USC Researchers: Mindfulness May Be Key to Substance Abuse Recovery 08/2019
USC investigators suggest that mindfulness may be the key to substance abuse treatment. Research suggests that the practice of mindfulness may be able to enhance treatment and recovery from addiction.
-
CBS Local - Vaping Linked To Marijuana Use In Young People, Research Says 08/2019
Young people who vape are more likely to use marijuana, according to a study published Monday. The findings, researchers say, support the theory that nicotine rewires the developing brain, changing how people respond to and crave addictive substances.
-
USA Today - Prescription opioid overdoses drop, as fentanyl deaths skyrocket 07/2019
"It's great that it's moving in the right direction," says Adam Leventhal, director of the University of Southern California's Institute for Addiction Science. "It's important that the public and policymakers recognize that the addiction crisis is unfortunately still alive and well. It's just shifting."
-
USC News - Teens who abuse opioids are more likely to later use heroin 07/2019
“Prescription opioids and heroin activate the brain’s pleasure circuit in similar ways,” said senior author Adam Leventhal, a professor of preventive medicine and psychology and director of the USC Institute for Addiction Science at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “Teens who enjoy the ‘high’ from prescription opioids could be more inclined to try other drugs that produce euphoria, including heroin.”
-
USC News - The USC Experts on the Front Lines of the Opioid Epidemic 06/2019
Nearly 400,000 people in America died from opioid overdose from 1999-2017. USC experts believe they can stem the tide.
-
The Atlantic - Naloxone Has Made Overdosing Less Terrifying 06/2019
However, use of fentanyl is likely to grow in San Francisco and Los Angeles, as people get accustomed to it and begin to prefer its more intense high, says Ricky Bluthenthal, a professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, who researches injection drug use.
-
USC News - Study finds e-cigarette cartoon ads may increase young adults’ likelihood of vaping 06/2019
“The data in this most recent study suggest a need for policies to extend restrictions on cartoon-based marketing of cigarettes to include marketing for e-cigarettes,” Allem said. Additional study authors include Tess Boley Cruz, Jennifer B. Unger, Josseline Herrera and Sara Schiff, all of the department of preventive medicine at the Keck School.
-
Drug users, equipped with naloxone, are helping to reverse overdoses in San Francisco 06/2019
However, use of fentanyl is likely to grow in San Francisco and Los Angeles, as people get accustomed to it and begin to prefer its more intense high, said Ricky Bluthenthal, professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, who researches injection drug use.
-
The Verge - Why Big Tobacco and Big Vape Love Comparing Tobacco to Caffeine 04/2019
But nicotine and caffeine aren’t chemically similar, not really. When I covered the health effects of nicotine last year, I asked Adam Leventhal, director of the USC Health, Emotion, and Addiction Laboratory, how the two drugs compared. “They’re apples and oranges,” he told me, citing a long list of distressing nicotine withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, depression, irritability, and hunger.
-
USC News - Mindfulness Could Be a Key to Recovering From Substance Abuse, USC Experts Say 03/2019
Initial studies with young adults show dramatic drops in stress, cravings, impulsivity and risk of relapse after practicing mindfulness.
-
Fox News - Quitting JUUL: New text messaging program targets addicted teens 02/2019
“These findings did not provide strong evidence of transition away from cigarette smoking as a potential public health benefit of e-cigarette use,” Jessica Barrington-Trimis, of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, told Reuters. “Collectively, findings from this paper suggest that e-cigarette use may result in an overall adverse impact of the public health of youth and young adults.”
-
Vice News - An Influential Think Tank Suggested That Harm Reduction Doesn't Work 12/2018
“The dispute is primarily disciplinary—although it is taking on metaphysical proportions given the inability or unwillingness of Doleac and colleagues to acknowledge the validity of other methodologies or to reflect constructively on the weakness of their own methods,” says Ricky Bluthenthal, professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California. “Ignoring findings from other methodological approaches is uncommon in public health. We are multidisciplinary by necessity and training.”
-
USC News - Inside the Evolving Issue of Addiction 10/2018
For alumni, donors, partners and friends of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
-
Washington Post - ‘Peanut Butter Cup’ Vape: Is This Dessert Or An E-Cigarette Flavor? 03/2018
During the past 10 years, a “dramatic shift” has occurred in the tobacco product marketplace, with e-cigarettes, hookah tobacco water pipes and small cigars gaining significant heft in sales — especially among this young population, noted an editorial that accompanied the study by Adam Leventhal and Jessica Barrington-Trimis of the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.
-
LA Times - Young rappers are getting honest about doing battle with depression, drug addiction and suicide 01/2018
"Some music can glamorize addiction and substance abuse. There's a difference between speaking out about your troubles and glamorizing that lifestyle," said Adam Leventhal, the director of USC's Health, Emotion & Addiction Laboratory. "There's a belief in some communities that you're just supposed to be strong and handle your business and not talk about it or that it's somehow your fault. These ideas have been perpetuated for generations, in part by media and through social circles."