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Home » News & Events » Nora's Blog

Nora's Blog

Recent Posts

Image of year changing from 2016-2017

Taking Stock of NIDA’s Achievements and Looking to the Future

January 2017
The need for better substance use disorder treatments, better diagnostic methods, and better prevention strategies has never been greater. The beginning of a new year gives us an opportunity to take stock of all we have recently accomplished toward meeting these scientific goals, as well as to set our sights on the challenges facing us ahead. Read More.

3 Comments
Image of marijuana plants

As Some States Implement New Marijuana Laws, Science Should Guide Public Health Policy

December 2016
After the election on November 8, marijuana is now or will soon be legal for adult recreational use in eight states plus the District of Columbia. Careful thought should be given to creating regulatory frameworks that prioritize public health. Science needs to be the guide. Read More.

11 Comments
World AIDS day graphic

Syringe-Exchange Programs Are Part of Effective HIV Prevention

December 2016
One of the best available strategies for reducing the spread of HIV among drug users is syringe-exchange programs (also called syringe service programs); their effectiveness has been proven through abundant research. Read More.

1 Comment
Addiction in America

The Surgeon General’s Report: Facing Addiction in America

November 2016
Today marks, I hope, another turning point in our country’s health, as Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. It is the first such report released by the Surgeon General on the health consequences alcohol and drug misuse. Read More.

3 Comments
The word addiction in bold on a printed dictionary page

Rethinking How We Talk About Addiction

October 2016
People with substance use disorders and other mental health issues face greater stigma than those with other illnesses. Many of the addiction-related terms widely used in our society—even in the addiction field—retain an implicit moral judgment and subtly frame drug problems as transgressions worthy of punishment. Read More.

6 Comments
Image of a stethoscope on a pregnant woman

Medical Marijuana Might Not Be a Safe Nausea Solution for Pregnant Women

September 2016
Medical marijuana is becoming more widely accepted and it is being used for a wide range of conditions. Scientific evidence of its effectiveness for most indications is still slim or nonexistent, but one of the few that are actually well supported is nausea (emesis) from cancer chemotherapy. While it may seem logical to treat the nausea of pregnancy with marijuana, women who do this could be putting their child at risk of neurodevelopmental and other problems. Read More.

6 Comments
ABCD logo

Participant Recruitment Now Underway for Landmark Study on Adolescents

September 2016
The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which has been in the planning phase for just under a year, is now recruiting more than 10,000 9- and 10-year-olds at 19 research sites across the United States, and will follow these young people for a decade, through their early adulthood. Read More.

3 Comments

Responsibly and Sensitively Addressing Chronic Pain Amid an Opioid Crisis

September 2016
Last week, the U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, sent a personal letter to more than 2.3 million health care practitioners and public health leaders, seeking their help to address the prescription opioid crisis. Read More.

11 Comments
Dictionary entry for the word pain

Psychiatrists Should Take a More Active Role in Treating Pain

June 2016
The recommendation to move away from opioids as the first line of treating many types of chronic noncancer pain has generated an understandable outcry from some pain patients who fear that medications they need will no longer be available to them. Read More.

10 Comments
Probuphine

Probuphine: A Game-Changer in Fighting Opioid Dependence

May 2016
Medications like buprenorphine and methadone have revolutionized the treatment of people with opioid use disorder, including those with severe disorders (addiction). Read More.

15 Comments

Pages

Dr. Nora Volkow: Remarks and Video Highlights

APA 2015 meeting

  • Marijuana as a Cure for Opioid Use? Nation's Top Drug Scientist Says She's Skeptical, March 2019
    Watch video (8:01)
  • Meet the Woman Leading the Nation's War on Addiction, October 2018
    Watch video (29:15)
  • Aspen Ideas Festival 2018: Shining Light on Less Visible Prescription Drug Epidemics, June 2018
    Watch video (51:34)
  • Dr. Nora Volkow on Addiction: A Disease of Free Will, May 2015
    Watch video (21:11)
  • TEDMED, January 2015
    Why do our brains get addicted?
    Watch video (16:23)
  • The World Science Festival, April 2014
    The Moth: The Brain's Addiction - Nora Volkow
    Watch video (17:01)
  • CBS 60 Minutes, April 2012
    Hooked: Why Bad Habits Are Hard to Break 
    Watch video (13:31)

About This Blog

Dr. Nora Volkow

Here I highlight important work being done at NIDA and other news related to the science of drug use and addiction.
—Dr. Nora Volkow, Director

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