Addiction Recovery Weekly Roundup – December 2nd Week

1. Opioid-Addicted Babies Cost U.S. More Than $500 Million Annually

MONDAY, Dec. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Babies born addicted to opioids cost the U.S. healthcare system more than half a billion dollars a year, a new study finds.

The rate of infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) was 6.7 per 1,000 hospital births in 2016, four times the rate of 1.5 per 1,000 in 2004 but down from 8 per 1,000 rates in 2014, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. (www.usnews.com)

2. China toughens regulation on electronic cigarettes

Chinese tobacco authorities have taken multiple measures to intensify the oversight on the online selling of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), according to the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration. (www.shine.cn)

3. Saskatchewan NDP calls for the government to look at detox center standards

Saskatchewan’s Opposition NDP says it’s not acceptable for people to be turned away from publicly funded detox centers. Danielle Chartier, the critic for mental health and addictions, says she regularly hears about people struggling to get access to detox services because of long wait times(globalnews.ca)

4. First Canadian guideline urging family doctors to treat alcohol-related issues

VANCOUVER — Family doctors in British Columbia are being urged to annually screen every patient starting at age 12 to prevent addiction to alcohol, a leading cause of social and economic harm.ckpgtoday.ca

5. Researchers identify a possible link between cannabis use and structural changes to the heart

Regular cannabis use could affect the structure and function of the heart, research led by a team at the Queen Mary University of London suggests. Analyzing MRI images from the UK Biobank population study, the team identified an association between regular cannabis use and an enlarged left ventricle—the heart’s main pumping chamber—together with early signs of impairment of heart medicalxpress.com