The landscape of cannabis research has sharpened in recent years, with new understandings of what is therapeutically beneficial and what is not.  There is a great diversity in cannabis products and nearly as many ways to consume it, with more US states seeking legalization of both medicinal and recreational use. In this presentation, Dr. Alan Budney will review the state of the science related to the clinical efficacy of cannabis use and discuss alternative ways to consider and act on what is known. He will also review the potential consequences of cannabis use for patients with substance use disorders and how we need to consider situational and individual context when evaluating risk and impact of cannabis consumption. Register for the webinar here

Spotlight on Health System Node Investigator – Gwen Lapham, PhD, MPH, MSW CTN studies often have many important secondary findings and Dr. Lapham, a CTN investigator in the Health Systems Node, has been making sure these get published rapidly. In 2024, Dr. Lapham led a paper on Year 3 outcomes of the PROUD Trial (CTN-0074) in JAMA Network Open, showing that the benefit of the PROUD nurse care manager intervention more than doubled during year 3 (compared to years 1-2 in the main results paper) with significant benefit in 4 of 6 health systems (compared to 2 in main results) suggesting that main results were early in implementation. Dr. Lapham, who led the CTN-0077 study (Medical Cannabis in EHRs), also oversaw 2 secondary papers this year, including one in the Journal of General Internal Medicine that showed the prevalence of cannabis use disorder increased with greater frequency of cannabis use reported by patients in the clinical setting. She also led a paper for CTN-140 published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine that identified predictors of participation among pregnant individuals who use cannabis in Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s Early Start program – a prenatal substance use assessment, counseling, and treatment program. The study found most pregnant individuals with prenatal cannabis use engaged in the program, though opportunities to improve care gaps remain. CTN-0074: Nurse Care Management of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment After 3 Years: A Secondary Analysis of the PROUD Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. Lapham GT, Hyun N, Bobb JF, Wartko PD, Matthews…

The Appalachian Node has received a notice of award for funding for the next seven years (FY25 – FY32).  We are excited to welcome to our newest partners, University of Maryland Baltimore and the PATH Network.  

Join the Northeast Node on February 6 (9am-10am PT) for the next installment in their Science Series: Emergency Department Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: Innovation & Discovery. Opioid use disorder (OUD) took the lives of an estimated 107,543 people in the United States in 2023, yet medications to treat OUD are effective and widely available. Emergency departments are a 24/7/365 option for combating this crisis and saving lives. In this presentation, Dr. Gail D’Onofrio will discuss the evidence regarding initiation of buprenorphine in the ED, describe innovations in dosing and formulations (extended-release and high dose initiation), and discuss implementation strategies to improve uptake of evidence-based practices and integration into EDs across the country. Register here!

The Southern Consortium Node held its quarterly Policy Advisory Committee meeting on September 16, 2024 at the Tri-County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Orangeburg, SC. One of the committee’s members, Mike Dennis, leads Tri-County and provided the committee with a tour of its newly-constructed adolescent treatment facility. The committee then convened for an in-depth discussion of challenges and opportunities for research and practice enhancement in the areas of substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery, with a special focus on the Southeastern region of the United States. Posted November 18, 2024.

After 10 years of leadership as Project Director for the Health System Node, Andrea Altschuler, PhD is passing the torch to Monique Buffler, MPH. Fortunately, Andrea will continue to be involved in HSN with community engagement efforts. In her new role, Monique will assist MPIs with coordination and management of node activities. Kelly Young-Wolff, PhD, MPH, site PI with the Health System Node, and Research Scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, was part of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) consensus panel who wrote the new report: Cannabis: Policy Impacts Public Health and Health Equity (2024). This report follows on the 2017 landmark NASEM report on the health effects of cannabis. This report fills an important gap in outlining key steps for reducing the harm of cannabis and hemp legalization. It outlines clear and cogent recommendations for improving the public health and equity impact of current policy and calls on CDC and the National Governors Association to further detail best practices and model laws. Download the report and additional resources: Publication Announcements Young-Wolff KC, Chi FW, Campbell CI, Does MB, Brown QL, Alexeeff SE, Ansley D, Wang X, Lapham GT. Association of psychiatric and substance use disorders with cannabis use and cannabis use disorder during early pregnancy in northern California. Addiction. 2024 Jul 31. doi: 10.1111/add.16622. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39082097. Young-Wolff KC, Chi FW, Lapham GT, Alexeeff SE, Does MB, Ansley D, Campbell CI. Changes in Prenatal Cannabis Use Among…