Key Findings
This is a quick summary of the main discovery for each research paper we have published, organized issue by issue. Each key finding is below the article title, with a link to the abstract.
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October 2020
A systematic review and Bayesian meta‐analysis of interventions which target or assess co‐use of tobacco and cannabis in single‐ or multi‐substance interventions
Single and multi‐substance interventions addressing tobacco and/or cannabis have not shown a clear effect on either tobacco or cannabis cessation and reduction among co‐users. Dual substance interventions targeting tobacco and cannabis appear feasible.
The overall effect of parental supply of alcohol across adolescence on alcohol‐related harms in early adulthood—a prospective cohort study
Adolescents whose parents supply them with alcohol appear to have an increased risk of alcohol‐related harm compared with adolescents whose parents do not supply them with alcohol.
Drinking risk varies within and between Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander samples: a meta‐analysis to identify sources of heterogeneity
Indigenous Australian drinking patterns vary within and between communities, which should inform targeted initiatives to reduce high‐risk drinking.
A randomized controlled trial of a Group psychological intervention to increase locus of control for alcohol consumption among Alcohol‐Misusing Short‐term (male) Prisoners (GASP)
A clinical psychologist‐facilitated group intervention did not have a statistically significant effect on sense of control of drinking behaviour among men with pre‐imprisonment alcohol misuse.
Do interruptions to the continuity of methadone maintenance treatment in specialist addiction settings increase the risk of drug‐related poisoning deaths? A retrospective cohort study
Interruptions to the continuity of methadone maintenance treatment by treatment provider do not appear to be periods of risk for drug‐related poisoning or all‐cause mortality deaths.
A lifetime of hazardous drinking and harm to health among older adults: findings from the Whitehall II prospective cohort study
Persistent hazardous drinking throughout life may increase cardiometabolic risk factors, particularly weight gain.
The association between recreational cannabis commercialization and cannabis exposures reported to the US National Poison Data System
An increase in cannabis exposures reported to the US National Poison Data System was observed following recreational cannabis commercialization in the US.
Associations between neighborhood‐level factors and opioid‐related mortality: A multi‐level analysis using death certificate data
Opioid‐related deaths between 2011 and 2014 in Massachusetts, USA appear to be positively associated with the neighborhood‐level percentage living in poverty, food insecurity rate, number of federally qualified health centers and per‐capita morphine mg equivalents of hydromorphone and inversely associated with the number of social associations and hospital beds per 10,000 people.
Effect of UK plain tobacco packaging and minimum pack size legislation on tobacco and nicotine product switching behaviour
Implementation of plain packaging and minimum pack size legislation in the UK appears to have been associated with tobacco users switching to lower price tobacco products and to e‐cigarettes.
Effects of simple active referrals of different intensities on smoking abstinence and smoking cessation services attendance: a cluster‐randomized clinical trial
Simple active referrals to smoking cessation services increased abstinence rates among smokers in Hong Kong, and on‐site active referral increased the use of smoking cessation services, compared with general brief cessation advice.
Dependence on e‐cigarettes and cigarettes in a cross‐sectional study of US adults
Use of e‐cigarettes appears to be consistently associated with lower nicotine dependence than cigarette smoking.
Medical marijuana laws and driving under the influence of marijuana and alcohol
The enactment of medical marijuana laws in US states appears to have been associated with increased prevalence of driving under the influence of cannabis, but not alcohol.
A latent class analysis of changes in adolescent substance use between 1988 and 2011 in Sweden: associations with sex and psychosomatic problems
Between 1988 and 2011, patterns of substance use among adolescents in Sweden shifted away from polysubstance use and alcohol use to non‐use or low use.
Heroin‐induced respiratory depression and the influence of dose variation: within‐subject between‐session changes following dose reduction
The relationship between opioid dose and symptoms of overdose is highly variable, even within individuals.
Mechanical Turk data collection in addiction research: Utility, concerns and best practices
Mechanical Turk can provide a useful source of convenience samples under limited conditions for certain research questions. There are steps that can be taken to minimise bias in studies using it.