[…]H. Reuter. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis. All RAND occasional papers undergo rigorous peer review to ensure that they meet high standards for research quality and objectivity. This summary was prepared by Timmen Cermak, MD, President of the Californian Society of Addiction Medicine, and Itai Danovitch, MD. Portions are direct quotes, although quotation marks have been left out to make the text more readable. The current price for sinsemilla-grade marijuana in California is approximately $300-$450 per […]
[…]addiction, alcoholism, and psychoactive dependence, represents our country’s number-one public health problem. Complementing this is the rise in prescription opioid abuse, particularly in adolescents, where prescription drug overdose deaths in 2008 exceeded all the overdose deaths for heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine combined. Substance abuse is now the leading cause of death in young people, exceeding even traffic fatalities (Knudsen 2009). Alcoholism as a disease was clearly described as long ago as the late 1700s by Dr. Benjamin Rush, a physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence (Katcher 1993). However, it wasn’t until the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in […]
[…]MD, DFASAMPrivate Practice, Chief Medical Officer, Bright Heart Health Chair, Committee on Education Mason Turner, MD, FASAMSenior Medical Director for Behavioral Health; Intermountain Healthcare Chair, Committee on Opioids Matthew A. Torrington, MD, ABAM, ABPM, AAFP, DFASAMPrivate Practice, Clinical Research, ACP UCLA School of Nursing Co-Chair, Committee on Membership & Communications Jean Marsters, MDLifelong Medical Care, Asian Health Services CSAM Presidents 1983-present 2023 Sharone Abramowitz, MD 2021 Karen Miotto, MD 2019 Anthony Albanese, MD 2017 David Kan, MD 2015 Monika Koch, MD 2013 Itai Danovitch, MD 2011 Jeffery Wilkins, MD 2009 Timmen Cermak, MD 2007 Judith Martin, MD 2005 David Pating, MD […]
For more information, contact csam@csam-asam.org. The following public policy platform represents the focus and direction CSAM will take in evaluating and responding to legislative and regulatory measures and serve as a guide for prioritizing initiatives and activities in […]
[…]fathers, are four to nine times more likely to have problems with alcohol than children of non-alcoholic parents. Q: How big a problem is teen alcohol and drug use? A: Alcohol is the drug of choice for teens, but illegal drug use is a serious problem, too. About a third of all teens try illegal drugs, including marijuana, while more than half have used alcohol. By the time they reach their senior year in high school, more than 45 percent have tried illegal drugs while nearly three-quarters have used alcohol. More than half of high school seniors have been drunk. […]
[…]heavy use increases the possibility that these “side effects” take a significant toll on one’s health. The following information briefly summarizes the health consequences of marijuana that have been documented by research studies. For further details and references, please refer to the section for “Healthcare Professionals.” The adverse effects on health caused by smoking marijuana can be divided into the following broad categories: Brain Function Short-Term Marijuana intoxication causes well defined impairments in the following brain functions: Memory, sense of time, sensory perception, attention span, problem solving, verbal fluency, reaction time, and psychomotor control. The short-term effects of marijuana last […]
[…]working in the OTP is often the first medical provider with whom these patients establish a long-term therapeutic relationship so the OTP physician can be an important, even lifesaving, resource for patients enrolled in treatment, identifying the multiple medical problems that characterize chemical dependence and providing treatment or referrals to address these problems, said co-editor Deborah Stephenson, MD, MPH. When utilized by OTP physicians, the Guidelines serve to improve community safety and public health. A copy of the updated Guidelines can be downloaded for free at [PDF download]. Qualified OTP clinicians may request a free print copy of the Guidelines by […]
[…]obtain the waiver to prescribe buprenorphine in office-based treatment of opioid use disorders. Non-member price for the online module is $199 for physicians. Residents are free and there are other discounts available. Register Here To achieve the remaining 4 hours required by the Medical Board of California Select from any of the following topics offered by CSAM, each offering 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Buprenorphine Formulations and Clinical Challenges in Prescribing Buprenorphine – this online course is 1-hour. It is free for ASAM/CSAM members; $25 for non-members. Strategies to Increase Your Confidence with Buprenorphine Prescribing in Primary Care Real […]
BOARD EXAM PREPARATION TRACK and PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS INFORMATION:WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2024 Addiction Medicine Board Exam Preparation Track (7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)The Addiction Medicine Board Exam Preparation Workshop is designed for those preparing to take the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) Addiction Medicine Board Exam and is aligned with the Board’s exam content Blueprint. The faculty of experienced educators will cover 16 key topic areas, with sample exam questions and rationale provided for answers. Test-taking and study tips will be covered. Registration for the all-day workshop includes access to the online High Yield Question Bank after the conclusion of […]
[…]Requires a least one randomized controlled trial (RCT) as part of the evidence B. Requires well-controlled clinical studies, but no RCT C. Requires clinical experience of respected authorities Other frameworks make finer distinctions among different levels of evidence (e.g., Oxford Centre for EBM Levels of Evidence), but the thrust of each is the same. The “gold standard” for credibility is met by randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, with multi-site studies being preferred to single-site studies. The unique advantage of randomization is that it enables researchers to evaluate whether the intervention (or product) itself, as opposed to other factors, causes any observed […]
