Policy
Weed Shouldn’t Be Banned for Elite Athletes, Some Experts Say
The disqualification of a leading U.S. Olympics candidate has brought the World Anti-Doping Agency’s marijuana prohibition under fire
Drug Use40 articles archived since 1845
Policy
We’re Overlooking a Major Culprit in the Opioid Crisis
Pharmaceutical companies and drug dealers have been part of the problem—but so have policy makers
Medicine
MDMA Shows New Promise for Trauma, but the Drug Alone Is Not a Cure
The illegal substance—paired with intensive therapy and hard work—dramatically improves PTSD symptoms
Medicine
Psilocybin Therapy May Work as Well as Common Antidepressant
For the first time, a randomized controlled trial shows the psychedelic offers potent, if short-term, relief in comparison with an SSRI
Public Health
Vaping Industry Echoes Big Tobacco’s Misleading Call for Science
To understand the battle over e-cigarettes, one must look to history—and big tobacco
Mental Health
What if a Pill Can Change Your Politics or Religious Beliefs?
A new mental health treatment using the psychedelic compound psilocybin raises questions about medicine and values
Behavior
Fighting Back against the Stigma of Addiction
When health care providers demonize people addicted to drugs or alcohol, it just makes the problem worse
Behavior
Americans Increase LSD Use—and a Bleak Outlook for the World May Be to Blame
Millennials and older adults lead the surge while Gen Z stays on the sidelines
Medicine
Penicillium Fungus Hosts Surprising Opioid Compounds
Next-generation opioids may spring from a tiny fungus protein
Medicine
Johns Hopkins Scientists Give Psychedelics the Serious Treatment
The first research center of its kind in the country is bringing renewed rigor to the investigation of the drugs’ therapeutic uses
Neuroscience
Brain Circuit Involved in Compulsive Drinking Identified in Mice
Activity in this circuit predicted which animals would keep drinking despite negative consequences
Public Health
How to Quit Opioids
Dr. Ellen Hendriksen dives into the history of the epidemic and asks behavior coach Eric Zimmer for his most vital advice on addiction recovery
Behavior
New Clues Found in Understanding Near-Death Experiences
Research finds parallels to certain psychoactive drugs
Behavior
Using Marijuana to Get High Dates Back Millennia
Ancient site points to weed’s role in burial rites
Neuroscience
Behind the Buzz: How Ketamine Changes the Depressed Patient’s Brain
The anesthetic-cum-party drug restores the ability to make connections among brain cells
Medicine
Where Marijuana Is Legal, Opioid Prescriptions Fall
Two new studies support this correlation
Public Health
Researchers Race to Devise a Roadside Test for Driving While High
Could a sensor-studded brain cap pick up signs of impairment?
Drug Use
Molecular Detector Could Find Meth and Other Illegal Drugs
Tests now only detect specific drugs, but this artificial molecule grabs slightly altered forms, too
Drug Use
Why Are Caffeinated Alcoholic Energy Drinks Dangerous?
A Temple University psychology associate professor explains what happens when sedatives and stimulants collide in the body
Pharmaceuticals
Treating Alzheimer’s Before It Takes Hold
Researchers are giving drugs to healthy people in hope of clearing away toxic proteins in the brain and preventing neurodegeneration.
