Magnolia Center Charleston

01/27/2026

A Heartbreaking Face of the Stimulant Crisis:
The Cardiac Toll of Stimulant Use
By Nicolas Garel, MD, MSc, FRCPC, and Paola Lavin, MD, MSc

Stimulants and m**hamphetamine-related emergencies are no longer confined to the pages of public health reports, they are unfolding daily in hospitals and emergency departments across North America. Clinicians increasingly encounter young adults experiencing chest pain, arrhythmias, or new cases of heart failure with no prior cardiac history but with a positive toxicology screen for (m**h)amphetamine. This clinical pattern, once rare, has become alarmingly common.

A new national cohort analysis by Garel and colleagues quantifies what frontline physicians have long observed. Using high-dimensional propensity score matching on more than 137,000 patients with substance use disorders (SUD), the authors compared the cardiovascular impact of stimulant use disorder (StUD) with non-stimulant SUD. Their findings showed that individuals with StUD had a 37% higher risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, or death, as compared with patients with non-stimulant SUDs. Even after rigorous adjustment for demographic and clinical confounders, mortality remained 23% higher. These results demonstrate that stimulant use carries distinct and substantial cardiovascular risk, even within an already vulnerable population.

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12/09/2025

https://www.asam.org/publications-resources/the-asam-weekly/detail/2025/12/08/guest-editorial---contingency-management-saves-lives--from-evidence-to-action?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ASAM%20Weekly%2012925&utm_content=ASAM%20Weekly%2012925+CID_bf789ce21af636b9bbce7295fb602d98&utm_source=utm_mediumemail&utm_term=Read%20the%20full%20editorial%20here&asam.org

The opioid crisis remains one of the most pressing public health emergencies facing the United States. A 2023 KFF poll found that nearly one-third of adults reported that they or a family member had experienced an opioid addiction.1 In the same year, about 5.7 million Americans were diagnosed with ...

11/12/2025

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949875925002085?asam.org
Abstract
Despite overwhelming evidence supporting medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders (SUDs), stigma persists within recovery communities—particularly in some circles of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA)—that view MAT as incompatible with sobriety. This perspective piece explores the tension between life-saving pharmacologic interventions such as medications for opioid use disorder (MOUDs) and deeply held beliefs within 12-step fellowships. Through the lens of a clinically grounded, narrative-driven, and first-person perspective we examine the origins of this stigma, including the historical ambivalence toward psychiatric medication in AA's founding literature. We also examine contemporary NA literature especially as it relates to the term “clean.” While many 12-step programs have increasingly accepted medications like antidepressants, MOUD remains stigmatized despite its proven effectiveness in reducing cravings, relapse, and overdose deaths. We argue that this resistance—often reinforced by sponsors, literature, and group norms—places patients at risk and undermines recovery. We use our personal experience as physicians and people in long-term recovery to call for a renewed interpretation of fellowship principles that embrace evidence-based treatment and affirms each individual's path to recovery. True sobriety should not require choosing between medication and belonging.

09/23/2025

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/health/trump-drug-users-involuntary-commitment-rehab.html?asam.org

The president wants to enforce involuntary commitment laws for severe drug use. But rehab is expensive, without enough beds for those who seek it.

08/10/2025

https://www.npr.org/2025/07/16/nx-s1-5468535/fentanyl-trump-addiction-funding

Threats to $140 million in funds for public health departments battling fentanyl overdoses comes as some experts see the addiction safety net unraveling.

07/22/2025

Cannabis and Cannabinoids for Treating Pain: What Are the Data?
Khalsa, Jag H. MS, PhD; Potenza, Marc N. MD, PhD; Bunt, Gregory MD; DuPont, Robert MD

Journal of Addiction Medicine ():10.1097/ADM.0000000000001537, July 14, 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000001537

Abstract
Cannabis is the most used federally illicit drug in the United States. Although cannabis use is associated with serious health consequences including cognitive dysfunction, memory problems, psychosis, and hyperemesis, and there is scant clinical evidence to support its use as a medicine, it is nevertheless being widely promoted to treat a wide range of health conditions including chronic pain. Currently, the body of clinical research taken together does not support the use of cannabis in any dosage form for treating any pain, particularly given the potential adverse effects. Certain cannabinoids have the potential to treat many clinical conditions, including perhaps specific pain conditions, but current research is insufficient to support their use for treating pain. More clinical research in compliance with regulatory guidelines is needed to consider approval of cannabis and related products as therapeutics for treating pain. If asked about the use of cannabis and related products for treating pain, providers should exercise caution and engage in evidence-informed discussions with patients to engage in shared decision-making. The lack of evidence supporting efficacy, with the potential of considerable adverse effects associated with the use of high-potency products of cannabis often being consumed currently, should be considered.

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06/25/2025

Addictive-like Dimensions of Problematic Use of Social Media
Journal of Addiction Medicine
Problematic compulsive social media use shows behavioral similarities to substance use disorders. Preliminary brain imaging studies have found structural and functional deficits like those seen in substance use disorders, suggesting an addictive dimension to problematic social media use. Excessive or maladaptive use of social media can trigger or worsen symptoms of depression and anxiety, especially in young people, which may further reinforce its use and increase adverse effects. To address potential negative public health outcomes, increased oversight of social media algorithms and business models is needed, along with rigorous research to identify at-risk groups, understand consequences, and develop evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies

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06/13/2025

https://futurism.com/therapy-chatbot-addict-m**h

OpenAI's large language model GPT-4o told a user who identified themself to it as a former addict named Pedro to indulge in a little m**h.

05/20/2025

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/health/trump-drugs-treatment.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HE8.bqEq.g9RFtNBPiEJe&smid=url-share&login=email&auth=login-email&asam.org&asam.org

Public health and addiction experts fear millions could lose access to treatment and prevention services if the administration’s proposed cuts are enacted.

05/13/2025

https://www.asam.org/news/detail/2025/05/13/asam--sweeping-medicaid-reforms-could-weaken-america-s-addiction-treatment-efforts--pose-a-national-security-threat?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ASAM%20Advocacy%20Statement&utm_content=ASAM%20Advocacy%20Statement+CID_be12ce3b89c5725cfabc703da7c1cbee&utm_source=utm_mediumemail&utm_term=View%20the%20Statement&asam.org

To save lives and undermine the influence of drug cartels, ASAM urges Congress to exempt addiction-related treatment services from cost-sharing mandates and reject burdensome work requirements 

05/07/2025

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/seattle-nonprofit-rolling-out-potential-game-changer-for-fentanyl-addiction/?asam.org

A new way of administering buprenorphine is helping people who struggled with or feared the excruciating side effects of other m**hods.