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Press Releases and Announcements
Celebrating a Major Milestone: More Than 500 Certified Responding to Addiction Instructors!
We're excited to share that we have reached more than 500 instructors who are now certified to deliver the Responding to Addiction Training! From healthcare professionals and educators to first responders, behavioral health providers, peer support specialists, and community leaders, our instructor network continues to grow with passionate individuals committed to increasing addiction knowledge and reducing stigma in their communities. Each new instructor creates countless opp
5 days ago
Addiction Policy Forum Launches Free Prevention Online Course in English and Spanish to Expand Access to Youth Prevention Education
Over 30 national and community organizations join efforts to increase access to evidence-based prevention resources for youth and families WASHINGTON, D.C., July 9, 2026— Addiction Policy Forum (APF) today announced the launch of Protect Your Brain (Protege tu Cerebro), a free, evidence-informed youth prevention e-course now available in both English and Spanish. The course is designed to provide youth, families, educators, and communities with accessible prevention education
Jul 8
Addiction Stigma in America: How Public Knowledge Shapes Attitudes Toward Recovery
The Addiction Policy Forum and Gallup released Addiction Stigma in America: How Public Knowledge Shapes Attitudes Toward Recovery, featuring findings from a nationally representative study examining Americans’ addiction literacy and how it influences stigma, attitudes toward individuals in recovery, and support for public health policies. The report is also available on Gallup's website. The study included a nationally representative sample of 5,097 U.S. adults surveyed throu
Jun 2
1 in 4 U.S. Adults Don’t Recognize Addiction as a Health Condition
New Addiction Policy Forum and Gallup Study Released Findings from a nationally representative study show that nearly 1 in 4 U.S. adults (23%) either disagree or do not know that addiction is a health condition. Individuals who did not recognize addiction as a health condition were significantly less likely to believe substance use disorders (SUDs) are treatable by healthcare professionals, that early intervention works, or that medications are effective treatments to treat a
Jun 1
Cannabis Use Trends, Risks, and the Evolving Policy Landscape with Dr. Rosalie Pacula
Cannabis access has accelerated globally and across the United States, creating substantial variation in regulatory systems, product availability, potency limits, commercialization practices, and public health risks. In this Ask the Expert video, Dr. Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, Professor and Elizabeth Garrett Chair in Health Policy, Economics & Law in the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California, examines the evolving policy landscape of cannabi
May 12
Research and Science Highlights
What Cannabis Legalization May Mean for Young Teens’ Views About Cannabis
As cannabis laws continue to change across the United States, researchers are working to understand how these changes may shape young people’s beliefs about cannabis. This study, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, looked at whether early adolescents—about 12 years old on average—had different expectations about cannabis depending on whether they lived in a state with no cannabis legalization, medical cannabis legalization, or recreational cannabis legalization. The res
Aug 6
U.S. Overdose Deaths Are Declining, Just Not for Everyone
This article explains that drug overdose deaths in the United States began to fall steadily around August 2023 after many years of increases, especially during the fentanyl era. This is encouraging news, but the decline has not happened evenly across the country, across all drug types, or across all groups of people. In the study, published in JAMA Network Open, researchers examined 800,645 drug overdose deaths between January 2015 and October 2024 using data from the Nationa
Aug 4
Alcohol Remains the Primary Driver of Treatment Admissions in the U.S., followed by Methamphetamines and Heroin
A recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides a comprehensive look at substance use disorder (SUD) treatment across the United States, including who is entering treatment, what substances are most commonly involved, and what services are being utilized. Drawing on data from the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), the annual report captures admissions and discharges among individuals ages 12 and older receiving treatment a
Apr 7
Study Finds Association Between Chronic Cannabis Use and Cardiovascular Dysfunction
In a study published in JAMA Cardiology , researchers found chronic cannabis use—whether through smoking or THC-infused edibles—is associated with impaired vascular function, even among young and otherwise healthy adults. Healthy vascular function allows blood vessels to dilate properly, deliver oxygen efficiently, and help regulate key processes within the circulatory system. When vascular function is impaired, blood vessels are less able to expand, which can reduce blood fl
Mar 30
Treating Depression Early in Treatment May Improve Methamphetamine Use Disorder Outcomes
Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) continues to pose a growing public health challenge in the United States. Despite rising rates of use and overdose deaths, there are currently no FDA-approved medications for treating MUD. Prior studies have shown that naltrexone (used to treat opioid and alcohol use disorders) and bupropion (an antidepressant) have independently been effective in MUD treatment. In a 2021 landmark clinical trial (ADAPT-2), researchers found that combining t
Mar 24
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