High Truths on Drugs and Addiction

Listen to Dr. Nora Volkow’s discussion with Dr. Roneet Lev on the gold standard for addiction, substance use disorder treatment, innovations in drug treatment, naloxone, emergency treatment, stigma, decriminalization, marijuana, and more.  This podcast includes Dr. Nora Volkow  keynote presentation at the Western Regional Opioid & Stimulant Summit of November 2021. Nora D. Volkow, M.D., is Dir...

Welcome to 2022 and Season 2 of High Truths on Drugs and Addiction.  I wish you all a healthy and happy new year. Listen and learn why I am jealous of diarrhea. I will list the top 10 accomplishments of 2022, Failures, and Hope for the future. Here are links to: International Academy on Science and Impact of Cannabis Fentanyl Testing Tool Emergency Department Drug Surveillance Here are 6 reasons I...

Welcome to the High Truths on Drugs and Addiction Season Finale. This High Truths finale is dedicated to you and to answering your questions. The CDC announced that our predicted 12-month overdose rate has exceeded 100,000 people. That’s like an airplane a day falling out of the sky. More people 18 to 45 year old died of fentanyl then died of COVID. And while fentanyl is the driver of deaths, I ha...

The Western States are experiencing a greater problem with methamphetamines than with opioids. What are some treatment options for stimulant use disorder? Listen to Dr. Sokolowska who works on this issue for the FDA. Marta Sokolowska, PhD Marta Sokolowska, Ph. D., joined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2018 as Associate Director for Controlled Substances at the Center for Drug Development...

CDC announced 100,000 overdoses in the past 12 months – an airplane a day falling out of the sky. What is it like for first responders who arrive at a death scene? Team 10 leader Ed Byrne has responded to 400 deaths since recording this episode. He also assisted in the HBO documentary, Crime of the Century. Since recording this episode, Senator Melissa Melendez, California, will sponsor the Fentan...

Get ready to have your jaw drop when you learn about babies who overdose on drugs. Babies and kids under 5 are getting into the adult drug supply of marijuana gummy bears as well as fentanyl. Learn more from child abuse specialist, Dr. Natalie Laub. Natalie Laub MD, MHSP  Dr. Natalie Laub is an attending Physician at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego where she is the Program Director for Child...

Addiction Medicine intersects with all aspects of medicine from primary care, pediatrics, OBGYN, surgery, cardiology, gastroenterology, and of course, emergency medicine.  Building up the addiction medicine workforce and integrating key aspects of addiction medicine into medical education is important. Anthony P. Albanese, MD Dr. Albanese is a gastroenterologist, hepatologist and addiction medicin...

High Truths on Drugs and Addiction Episode #48 High Truths on Drugs and Addiction with Dr. Ilse Wiechers on Benzodiazepines Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 30 seconds 00:00 / 00:52:39 Subscribe Share Amazon Apple Podcasts Deezer Google Podcasts Libsyn Pandora

Is Marijuana use associated with psychosis and schizophrenia or does marijuana actually causes schizophrenia? What about Suicide? Dr. Christine Miller has meticulously studied the medical literature and the Bradford Hill criteria. The Bradford Hill criteria is the standard used to prove causation. This methodology was used to prove tobacco smoking causes various health effects. This interview was...

Methamphetamine, a potent stimulant, is rampant on the West Coast of the United States and part of the trifecta of homelessness, mental health and methamphetamine use.  Dr. Richard Rawson is one of the nation’s experts on research and treatment for stimulant use disorder. Richard A. Rawson, Ph. D. , is Professor Emeritus at the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and a Research Professor at the Vermont...

The Least of Us About Sam Quinones Sam Quinones   is a Los Angeles-based freelance journalist and author of four books of narrative nonfiction. His latest book is The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth . In The Least of Us (published October 2021), Quinones chronicles the emergence of a drug-trafficking world producing massive supplies of dope cheaper and...

Dr. Kolodny chats with Dr. Lev about the Opioid Lawsuits. They say people who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat history.  The history for tobacco, opioids, vaping and marijuana follows a pattern: Health claims Normalization of use Disaster is finally recognized Lawsuits Andrew Kolodny, M D Dr. Kolodny previously served as Chief Medical Officer for Phoenix House, a national non profit...

Patrick Foley Patrick Foley has over 20 years of experience in the addiction treatment field. Patrick currently works for McAllister Institute, serving people with various dependency issues. Mr. Foley is a coaching consultant and a frequent speaker and subject matter expert regarding adolescent dependence promoting solution-based goals that navigate clients through the recovery process. Patrick is...

What is a popped lung?  It is called called a pneumothorax and a collapse of a lung – like a popped balloon. Is a serious and potentially life threatened problem because the lung is not working causing lack of oxygen.  It can even progress to a tension pneumothorax which is a restriction on the heart preventing it from beating normally. Chris’s Chest X-ray   Chris came to the emergency department...

What is the role of faith in treatment and prevention of addiction? Bishop Jethro James give advice for all religions. Bishop Jethro C. James, Jr. Bishop Jethro C. James, Jr., Senior Pastor of Paradise Baptist Church, was born in Paterson, New Jersey, the eldest of seven children to the late Jethro Sr. and Mary James.  Most of his childhood years were spent in Powhatan, Virginia where he attended...

Many people have heard about the risk of your BRAIN on drugs, but what about your SKIN on drugs? Your skin, your epidermis is the largest organ of your body and is about 20 square feet. Dr. Antley is a dermatopathologist and talks to High Truth about whether marijuana products can help acne or harmful to the skin. Catherine Antley, M.D . Catherine Antley, M.D. graduated from the University of Nort...

If you go the emergency department with a broken arm, you will get an x-ray, a cast, and be referred to see an orthopedic specialist. If you have a serious heart problem you will be referred to a cardiologist.  What happens if you come to the hospital with endocarditis – an infection of the heart caused by drug use?  You will see a heart specialist, an infectious disease doctor, but will you see a...

In this episode we bring together two individual retired men who live in different parts of the United States, but have a common story. They are both fathers to adult children who struggle with addiction. They both have suffered with strained relationships that comes with the disease of addiction, and after many years of pain, they are finally at a good place. Both these fathers requested to stay...

  What is going on with Oregon Drug Laws? The state of Oregon made history, the first state in the United States to decriminalize the possession of all hard drugs on November 2020.  Marijuana was legalized in Oregon since 2014. Is this a good idea, a bad idea, or a yet to be determined social experiment? Oregon Measure 110, a ballot initiative funded by the Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group...

Was I duped by Big Pharma?  Early in my career I was told “You and your colleagues are undertreating pain.” When I served as Vice Chair of on the California Medical Association Council on Legislation, we passed laws that mandated pain education for doctors and eliminated specialized prescription pads for potent opioids. But then it became ridiculous.  In 2013, I counted 20% of all my emergency pat...

Can you have less pain, less opioids, and faster and better recovery after surgery? Absolutely! ERAS, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery optimizes care before, during and after surgery in terms. Learn about ERAS from the President of ERAS USA. Dr Mike Scott  MB ChB FRCP FRCA FFICM Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at the Hospital of the University of PennsylvaniaDivision Chief Su...

Glenn Ignazio lived his dream of being a decorated air force pilot and it all came crashing down after a terrible accident. He became addicted to opioids, lost his beloved career, faced divorce, and dealt with the pain of friends dying from suicide.  He seemingly lost everything as he was learning to walk again.  What is the secret to his resiliency?  Glenn explains Failing Forward. About Glenn Ig...

Perhaps 100 young people may be prescribed opioid pain killers for extracts wisdom teeth or a broken bone and only a handful may feel a strong pull of addiction after a single pill.  The problem is we do not know who that vulnerable handful is.  That is why prevention of exposure is important. It does not mean prohibition of opioids, but it does mean innovations in pain management that avoid opioi...

Drug testing became a standard after a landmark even in 1981 when a marine warfare jet slammed into the USS Nimitz’s flight deck.  Autopsies on 6 out of 14 crew men showed evidence of heavy marijuana use.  This led to President Ronald Regent issue Executive Order #12564 instituting a Zero Tolerance policy for federal employees.  Jo McGuire joins Dr. Lev in discussing the nuances of work place drug...

Smoke free policies are aimed at protecting the non-smoker. What are the effects of secondhand marijuana smoke? Learn fro High Truths expert, Dr. Paula Gordon. Paula D. Gordon, Ph. D. Paula D. Gordon, Ph. D. is an educator, writer, analyst, researcher, speaker, consultant, and independent contractor. She has taught at many institutions including the California State University System, the George W...