News from the Appalachian Node: Brief Report for CTN-0135 Published

New Node Coordinator for the Appalachian Node:

The Appalachian Node is excited to welcome Ellen Kline (ellenkline@pitt.edu) as our Node Coordinator.

The Brief Report for CTN-0135 has been published:

Winstanley EL, Leibschutz JM, Murray-Krezan C, Switzer GE, Nash S, Kawasaki S. Brief Report: Meth, Tranq, Gas Station Heroin & Other Drugs Complicating Addiction Treatment. American Journal on the Addictions 2026, 1-4. DOI: 10.1111/ajad.70151.

The report describes the results of a single survey item from a national survey (n=396) that was conducted for CTN-0135 using a random sample of clinicians waivered to prescribe buprenorphine in the U.S. The item collected information about clinicians’ perceptions of other drugs, besides illicitly manufactured fentanyl, complicating treatment.

Clinicians reported methamphetamine (86.4%), synthetic cannabinoids (42.7%), and xylazine (41.4%) were complicating treatment. Reports varied by geographic region.

The study demonstrates that rapid clinician surveys can provide real-time data on changing patterns of drug use’s impact on treatment outcomes.

Posted on March 17, 2026