Fact Sheets

June 6, 2023 | Controlled Substances, Fact Sheets, Substance Abuse

This fact sheet addresses the growing misuse of ketamine, an anesthetic used medically in both humans and animals as a short-acting painkiller. Ketamine can produce dissociative sensations, feelings of euphoria, and hallucinations, and it is popular as a “club drug” among teens and young adults at dance clubs and raves. Most of the ketamine illicitly distributed in the U.S. is either diverted or stolen from legitimate sources, particularly veterinary clinics, or smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico....

June 6, 2023 | Controlled Substances, Fact Sheets, Prescription Drugs, Public Safety, Substance Abuse

This fact sheet addresses the issue of drug diversion in health care settings. Drug diversion is defined as any criminal act or deviation that removes a prescription drug from its intended path from the manufacturer to the patient, and while the act of diversion can occur in a variety of settings and be committed by anyone, it is particularly likely to occur in healthcare settings by healthcare workers due to the ease in which they can access prescription drugs. Drug diversion in health care is a serious issue that can result in patient harm, financial loss to the healthcare entity, and civil and criminal litigation based on the perpetrator’s actions....

June 6, 2023 | Fact Sheets, Novel Psychoactive Substances, Substance Abuse, Synthetic Drugs

The Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) is monitoring the emergence of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) appearing on the illicit drug market in the United States. The term “novel” does not denote a new, never-before-seen substance but rather a substance that is newly available in the drug market. This fact sheet, the fourth in a series highlighting these potentially dangerous drugs, examines isotonitazene, a synthetic opioid recently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act....

January 6, 2023 | Controlled Substances, Fact Sheets, Fentanyl, Kratom, Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Novel Psychoactive Substances, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Stimulants, Substance Abuse, Synthetic Drugs

Millions of people throughout the world use social media platforms (or “apps”) providing an easy avenue to reach a large number of people. Legitimate businesses are not the only ones to use social media apps as a marketing tool. In recent years, drug dealers have turned to such apps to solicit buyers and arrange sales. This fact sheet examines the growing use of social media, by drug suppliers, to surreptitiously advertise to a wide audience, by using apps that offer encrypted or disappearing messages....

December 7, 2022 | Controlled Substances, Criminal Justice, Fact Sheets, Opioids, Substance Abuse, Treatments

Withdrawal syndrome occurs in individuals who have developed physiological dependence on a substance and who discontinue or reduce their use of it. Individuals who use drugs or alcohol prior to incarceration may experience the onset of withdrawal syndrome while in a correctional setting. This fact sheet discusses the management of withdrawal symptoms of individuals in the corrections system....

November 1, 2022 | Controlled Substances, Fact Sheets, Fetal and Infant Health, Maternal Health, Opioids, Substance Abuse, Treatments

There are a number of expert recommendations regarding how to identify, work with, and treat pregnant and postpartum individuals with SUD to ensure the best outcomes for both parent and child. There are also legal requirements regarding notification to state child welfare agencies of infants born affected by prenatal substance exposure or experiencing withdrawal and the creation of family care plans (also known as plans of safe care). This fact sheet provides readers with an overview of those recommendations and requirements.intervention....

October 25, 2022 | Controlled Substances, Criminal Justice, Fact Sheets, Harm Reduction, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Opioids, Recovery, Substance Abuse, Treatments

Through the use of medications for addiction treatment (MAT), an individual’s substance use, withdrawal symptoms, and the physiological and psychological cravings can be controlled, enabling the person to begin treatment while in a correctional facility and be released as a person in, or on his or her way to, recovery. Research shows that that the use of MAT for Opioid Use Disorder in correctional settings is a cost-effective and life-saving intervention....

October 5, 2022 | Controlled Substances, Fact Sheets, Opioids

Kratom is an herb that is derived from a leafy Southeast Asian tree, known formally as Mitragyna speciosa. It contains two psychoactive compounds, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, which can produce a pharmacological response that is similar to that produced by morphine. Federal regulators and kratom organizations are at odds about the potential dangers (or lack thereof) of kratom and how kratom should be regulated. In addition to federal regulatory battles, some state and local governments have implemented regulatory controls on kratom. ...