In this episode of Addiction News Weekly by Rehab.com, three new opioid studies land in the same week: the largest review of opioids for acute pain finds they work less than expected, brain scans reveal memory-related changes in people with opioid use disorder, and a major cohort study shows why serious mental illness makes staying in treatment harder.

Rehab.com Medical Officer Dr. Sylvie Stacy breaks down what the findings mean in practice.

Sources:

• Mathieson S, et al. Efficacy and harms of opioid analgesics for acute pain. Drugs. 2026. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40265-026-02284-3
• Gisev N, et al. Severe mental illness and opioid treatment retention. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2025.

This week: a clinical trial in Nature Medicine finds an NIH-funded AI screening tool cut 30-day hospital readmissions for people with opioid use disorder by 47%, with an estimated $108,000 in savings over eight months at a single Wisconsin hospital.

A new $3.5 million NIDA grant to WashU Medicine will study how prenatal opioid exposure shapes long-term brain development in mouse models, comparing two standard treatment approaches head to head.

Dr. Sylvie Stacy explains why abruptly stopping opioids during pregnancy is dangerous, and why medication-assisted treatment is the standard of care, not the exception.

And a 2026 study in Scientific Reports finds medical students who screened positive for probable gambling disorder reported suicidal thoughts at more than double the rate of their peers, pointing to a treatable condition that rarely shows up in suicide prevention conversations.

Sources:

• ⁠https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03603-z⁠
• ⁠https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/ai-screening-opioid-use-disorder-associated-fewer-hospital-readmissions⁠
• ⁠https://source.washu.edu/2026/06/nih-grant-supports-research-on-brain-development-after-opioid-exposure-in-the-womb/⁠
• ⁠https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-37805-3⁠

This week: the CDC flags prescription stimulant misuse among college students as an overdose risk, not just an academic shortcut, as counterfeit pills increasingly carry lethal doses of fentanyl.

A UC San Diego study of more than 175,000 California students finds teens rank cannabis as the least worrying substance they use, even as high-potency products flood the market and risk perception keeps dropping by twelfth grade.

Dr. Sylvie Stacy breaks down what that perception gap means clinically, plus a new national analysis estimating more than 8 million Americans used psilocybin in the past year, mostly outside any clinical setting.

And brief hits on a new NIH grant for rural addiction treatment, an NIH-cleared opioid use disorder trial, vaping and cancer risk, and rising depression among young people and lower-income Americans.

Sources:

• https://www.cdc.gov/han/2024/han00510.html
• https://today.ucsd.edu/story/teens-view-cannabis-as-less-harmful-than-alcohol-vapes-and-cigarettes
• https://news.illinois.edu/study-millions-in-the-us-report-past-year-psilocybin-use/

This week: SAMHSA announces $40 million in new behavioral health grants, but the money arrives as the agency faces its own staffing and budget questions.

A University of Cincinnati study finds that training doctors to treat addiction inside primary care clinics builds confidence and could help close a treatment gap that leaves three out of four people with a substance use disorder without care.

Dr. Sylvie Stacy breaks down new research showing that using cannabis in multiple ways, such as smoking, vaping, and edibles in combination, is strongly associated with cannabis use disorder regardless of product type.

And a Mayo Clinic protocol achieved zero heavy alcohol relapses in the first year after liver transplant. Plus brief hits on nitrous oxide risks, gaming disorder in kids with ADHD, and addiction risk among unemployed men.

Sources:

• https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/samhsa-announces-funding-opportunities-prevent-addiction-child-trauma-suicide-mental-illness.html
• https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2026/05/n21409116.html
• https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70474
• https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-study-finds-new-post-liver-transplant-protocol-results-in-0-heavy-alcohol-relapse-rate/

In this episode of Addiction News Weekly by Rehab.com, we cover two major studies, both drawn from veteran health records, that are reshaping how we think about addiction treatment and long-term risk.

First: could GLP-1 medications like semaglutide reduce the risk of developing a substance use disorder? Then: new research links opioid use disorder to a 56 percent higher risk of dementia, and what that means for treatment today.

Dr. Sylvie Stacy breaks down what both studies actually show, who the findings apply to, and what the responsible clinical takeaway is for each.

Sources:

• journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.70163
• https://www.tfah.org/report-details/pain-in-the-nation-2025/

In this episode of Addiction News Weekly by Rehab.com, we look at new research suggesting a synthetic opioid may provide pain relief with a lower risk of addiction.

But what does “less addictive” actually mean?

We break down the study and what it shows, then hear from Rehab.com medical officer Dr. Sylvie Stacy on how these findings translate to real-world care, what people often misunderstand, and what risks still remain.

Source:
https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/new-pain-relief-opioid-could-be-much-less-addictive-than-morphine-rodent-study-finds

In this episode of Addiction News Weekly by Rehab.com, we break down the latest data showing a decline in U.S. overdose deaths, along with new concerns about an increasingly unpredictable drug supply.

We also look at rising kratom-related poisonings and what’s driving the debate around regulation and safety.

Sources:

https://www.ama-assn.org/health-care-advocacy/advocacy-update/april-10-2026-national-advocacy-update

https://ldi.upenn.edu/our-work/research-updates/experts-warn-addiction-policy-is-weak-despite-falling-overdose-deaths/

https://knpr.org/2026-04-12/drug-overdose-deaths-drop-sharply-in-the-u-s-even-as-new-street-drugs-emerge

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/06/opioid-overdose-deaths-drug-supply-addiction/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/13/kratom-poisonings-increase