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Young people used marijuana and some hallucinogens at record levels last year, according to a new report funded by the National Institutes of Health, as recreational cannabis became legal in more states and as attitudes toward other drugs continue to shift. Nearly 43 percent of young people said they had used marijuana in the past 12 months, up from 29 percent in 2011 and nearly 34 percent in 2016, according to the Monitoring the Future study by the University of Michigan, which surveyed nearly 5,000 young adults between 19 and 30 years old. (Pietsch, 8/24)

The findings, part of the government’s annual survey of drug use among young Americans, also found that nicotine vaping and excessive alcohol consumption continued to climb in 2021 after a brief pause. Another worrying trend among young people, ages 19 to 30: mounting consumption of alcoholic beverages suffused with THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. But there were some bright spots in the survey. Cigarette smoking and opioid abuse among young adults dropped last year, a continuing trend that has heartened public health experts. (Jacobs, 8/23)

The amount of young adults who said in 2021 that they used marijuana in the past year (43%), the past month (29%) or daily (11%) were at the highest levels ever recorded. Daily use — defined in the study as 20 or more times in 30 days — was up from 8% in 2016. (Archie, 8/24)

A STAT investigation found that vape companies are regularly flouting the FDA’s orders. They’re making, stocking, and selling illicit goods. And the agency is just letting it happen. (Florko and Welle, 8/24)

As the overdose epidemic continues to hit Bristol County and Massachusetts hard, teens and children face unique dangers from drug use, especially vaping, local advocates say. “It’s really become a commonality in all of the schools,” said Marc Dunderdale, a prevention coordinator with SSTAR, a leading substance use treatment provider in the region. (Cooney, 8/22)

Nineteen Illinois counties, including five of six in the Chicago area, are suing some of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, alleging the companies contributed to the overdose crisis by failing to monitor and restrict improper prescriptions. The lawsuit, filed last week in Cook County, adds to the growing pile of opioid litigation being pursued by state and local governments against drug manufacturers, distributors and retailers. (Keilman, 8/23)

Ohio has launched a campaign to help financial advisors and consumers deal with the ill-effects of opioid abuse. The goal is to help families detect abuse, find treatment options, and prepare financially and also to make sure financial advisors have the tools and know-how to help them access and pay for treatment. (Winokur Muir, 8/23)

Drugmaker Indivior Inc must face a lawsuit by 42 state attorneys general accusing it of using illegal tactics to shield its opioid addiction treatment Suboxone from generic competition, a federal judge has ruled. (Pierson, 8/23)

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says announced on Tuesday, Aug. 23, that about $3.2 million in grants is available to help rural first responders fight opioid abuse. She said the grants will fund training for carrying and administering approved medication for emergency reversal of opioid overdoses. (Motter, 8/23)