SAj Blog Archives - Page 48 of 88

New Year’s Resolutions?

Jan 16, 2020 by AMERSA

It’s that time of year again, it’s time for New Year’s resolutions! What are your hopes and goals for 2020? Frequently we see resolutions such as losing weight, drinking more water, to volunteer more, or possibly picking up a new hobby. Or maybe you have a resolution to read more substance abuse research, get published and share your research far and wide? Well maybe we can help!

We are always looking for great new manuscripts to publish in SAj. Submitting your manuscripts to us has never been easier. All you have to do is go to https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/wsub, set up an account, fill in your information, upload your manuscript, and then submit! We try to get answers, results, questions, etc. back to you as soon as possible. If you have any questions about submitting, contact us at managing.editor.saj@gmail.com and you will be connected with one of our managing editors.

Maybe your goal for 2020 is to read more? Well SAj is always a good place to start! We have over 40 volumes, with 4 issues each! That is over 160 issues to read! Start now over at https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/wsub20/current.

We hope that your 2020 is a year to remember!

Substance Abuse journal Volume 39 | Issue 2

Jan 12, 2020 by AMERSA

It has been fun going back in time a little bit and revisiting SAj Vol. 39, Iss. 2. issue! 2018 only seems like yesterday, but it’s already 2020! If you haven’t read Vol. 39, Iss. 2, you always can here.

This was a issue with a special theme! This issue focused on “Implementation and Quality Improvement: Applying and Advancing Best Practices in Opioid Use Disorder and Addiction Treatment”. We know the importance of applying and advancing treatment in all forms and we are proud to highlight it.

The most viewed manuscript in this issue was:

The conundrum of opioid tapering in long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain: A commentary

Ajay Manhapra MD; Albert J. Arias MD; & Jane C. Ballantyne MD

With 575 views…and counting!

The Authors’ Own Words: Heterogeneity of State Medical Marijuana Laws and Adolescent Recent Use of Alcohol and Marijuana: Analysis of 45 States, 1991-2011

Jan 11, 2020 by AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Heterogeneity of State Medical Marijuana Laws and Adolescent Recent Use of Alcohol and Marijuana: Analysis of 45 States, 1991-2011

Julie K. Johnson PhD; Renee M. Johnson PhD; Dominic Hodgkin PhD; Abenaa A. Jones PhD; Ann Marie Matteucci PhD; & Sion K. Harris PhD

Substance Abuse Vol. 39, Iss. 2, 2018

“This study examined whether Medical Marijuana Laws (MMLs) and their restrictiveness affect varying current adolescent alcohol and marijuana use behaviors using Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System data from 45 states between 1991-2011, including 12 of the 16 states that enacted MML on or previous to 2011, representing the most liberalized categorization of marijuana laws prior to the wave of recreational marijuana legalization laws that began in 2012. It is not well known how MMLs affect alcohol use behaviors, even less so for the adolescent cohort. This study found that states that enacted a MML, and having a less restrictive policy, were associated with lowered odds of current adolescent alcohol use. A unique feature of this study is the analysis of not only the effect of having any MML on these outcomes, but also the effect of state MML restrictiveness, using policy taxonomy scores. The alcohol findings are not as surprising given that Monitoring in the Future, a national surveillance of youth substance use, reports steadily annual declining alcohol use rates among youth from 1991 to 2011. By contrast, prevalence of marijuana use has remained steady from 1994 to 2014, despite a changing marijuana reform landscape.”

The Authors’ Own Words: High Dosage Opioid Prior Authorization Policy on Prescription Opioid Use, Misuse, and Overdose Outcomes

Jan 10, 2020 by AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

High Dosage Opioid Prior Authorization Policy on Prescription Opioid Use, Misuse, and Overdose Outcomes

Daniel M. Hartung PharmD, MPH; Hyunjee Kim PhD; Sharia M. Ahmed MPH; Luke Middleton BS; Shellie Keast PhD, PharmD, MS; Richard A. Deyo MD, MPH; Kun Zhang PhD; & K. John McConnell PhD

Substance Abuse Vol. 39, Iss. 2, 2018

“This paper evaluates the impact of Medicaid prior authorization policy for high dose opioid prescriptions. Results show the policy was associated with a substantial reduction in opioid prescriptions above a daily dose of 120 morphine milligram equivalents, increases in lower dose opioid prescriptions and drugs for neuropathic pain, but had no significant impact on opioid-related ED visits or hospitalizations. As insurers and healthcare payers align reimbursement strategies and benefit designs to influence opioid prescribing, it is important to characterize both intended an unintended effects of these policy changes.”