There is conclusive evidence that marijuana use, particularly in early adolescence, can affect brain development. Most of the effect is on memory, attention, and executive function. How do we prevent these negative effects? Dr. Cermak's advice is: delay, delay, delay. The more success we have getting kids to delay onset of use, the more protection we provide.

While the age-old tradition of smoking cannabis remains very common, several other options for preparing the drug are becoming widely available and frequently used. In this article, we’ll update you on the modern preparations and routes of administration.

As marijuana has gained acceptance—it can now be prescribed to treat a wide variety of medical conditions in 28 states and Washington, DC—there has also been a shift in attitudes toward other mind-altering substances that, despite their reputation as drugs of abuse, show promise as therapeutic agents.

Ms. Petitt’s manages the program that selects and trains researchers for the MDMA-assisted psychotherapy protocols MAPS Public Benefit Corporation is conducting. The program has reviewed 300 applicants, and is in the midst of training 80 people who will work on therapy teams for Phase 3 trials. In addition to the training program, Ms. Petitt has also served as co-therapist on the MAPS-sponsored Phase 2 trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with life-threatening illness.

If you have not yet heard of kratom (usually pronounced kray-tom or krah-tom), consider this an introduction. Kratom preparations are gaining popularity among substance users because of the plant’s opioid-like and stimulant properties.

Dr. Raskin discusses strategies when dealing with prescription-seeking patients, including common scenarios for helping clinicians decide whether a patient requesting opioids is endorsing more pain than they actually have.

How do PDMPs work? To search for a patient in a PDMP, all you need to do is enter the person’s name and birthdate and click the search button. The PDMP will generate a patient activity report that will tell you what controlled substances the patient has picked up and where. The report gives you lots of detail, including the address of the patient; the drug names, doses, quantities, and refill information on any controlled substances that have been dispensed; and the applicable prescriber names, DEA numbers, pharmacy names, dispensing dates, and prescription numbers.

These days, opiates are primarily prescribed to treat pain. But there is a long history of using opiates to treat depression and other mental illness.

Many chronic pain patients are dealing with psychiatric problems. Pain patients have tremendously high rates of major depressive disorder which is undertreated and underdiagnosed. It's easy to assume that the depression is a reaction to living with chronic pain, but in fact it’s often the other way around. Dr. Michael Robert Clark describes evaluations and treatment methods clinicians can use to address pain management with their patients.

Effective pharmacological treatments for cannabis dependence have eluded the field of addiction psychiatry. It’s not, however, due to a lack of trying. Theoretical connections between cannabinoids and the serotonin system have spurred a number of studies looking at the usefulness of SSRIs and buspirone.