Answer of the Day

In 2018, 699,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 misused opioids, with the vast majority misusing prescription opioids. Of these 699,000 adolescents, 108,000 had opioid use disorder.

Abuse of non-opioid substances in combination with non-prescription fentanyl increased dramatically during the first two months of the COVID pandemic. For example, the use of non-prescription fentanyl: with amphetamines increased by 89% (P<0.01) , with benzodiazepines increased by 48% (P<0.01) , with cocaine increased by 34% (P<0.01)

According to an analysis of Quest Diagnostics data, non-prescription fentanyl abuse increased by 35% during the time period of March 15 to May 16, 2020 (P<0.01). Among males, the percentage of those positive for opioid use increased from 5.7% to 8.6%, while the rate for females increased from 3.2% to 3.7%. The positivity rate increased for all age groups. Of note, there was an increase from 10.2% to 13.4% for the 18 to 24 years old, age group.

Approximately 2 million people aged 12 or older had a prescription opioid use disorder in 2018; 526,000 persons aged 12 or older had a heroin use disorder.

According to the results of a survey of 145 dermatologists, 91 % of dermatologists were in support of medical cannabis use and 13.8 % have recommended it for a dermatologic condition. Atopic dermatitis (45 %) and psoriasis (40 %) were the most common. The most common form of administration was topical (75 %). The main reasons for not recommending medical cannabis were limited knowledge (56 %) and lack of experience (48 %).