Current Addiction Reports
September 2, 2026
Kathryn Fletcher, Jack Freestone, Nadine Ezard et al.
Abstract Purpose of Review Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has re-emerged as a potential intervention for substance use disorders (SUDs), yet the psychological mechanisms underlying behaviour change remain poorly synthesised. This scoping review mapped and evaluated proposed psychological processes underpinning PAT in adults with SUDs. Recent Findings Peer-reviewed English-language empirical...
Current Addiction Reports
August 18, 2026
Michael J. Broman, Jhuma N. Acharya, Kaltum Ahmed et al.
Abstract Purpose of Review We highlight key findings and methodological issues from recent research on the abuse liability of classic psychedelics, utilizing a GRADE to assess the quality of the evidence. Recent Findings Studies using various designs suggest that classic psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin, LSD) have low abuse potential and less dependence liability than other drugs. However, public...
Current Addiction Reports
June 11, 2026
Paul S. Regier
Purpose of Review: Neuroscientific models of addiction have evolved over the past four decades from single-circuit dopamine frameworks to dual-process, tripartite, and multidimensional accounts. Despite these advances, existing models incompletely account for the lived experience of addiction and for developmental, social, and mental-health factors that contribute to heterogeneity in risk and...
Current Addiction Reports
February 27, 2026
Amanda C. Lee, Jibran Y. Khokhar
Purpose of Review The association between cannabis use and schizophrenia is a growing public health concern, particularly in vulnerable populations. This review synthesizes insights from recent studies to investigate how preclinical rodent models can help clarify this relationship. Recent Findings Increasingly advanced paradigms have been developed, including various translationally-relevant...
Current Addiction Reports
February 21, 2026
Draulio B Araujo, Lucas O. Maia, Tiago Arruda Sanchez et al.
Summarizes preclinical and clinical evidence on ayahuasca—a traditional Amazonian brew combining N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and β-carbolines—in treating depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use, eating, and personality disorders. Preclinical work shows enhanced neuroplasticity, reduced inflammation, and oxidative stress. Human neuroimaging reveals decreased default...
Current Addiction Reports
2025
Anahita Bassir Nia, Yalda Farahmand, Garret Griffith et al.
Despite national efforts to curb the opioid crisis, the clinical and societal challenges continue to grow. FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) are effective but are associated with high rates of treatment discontinuation and relapse. A collection of agents with acute effects on consciousness, collectively (if variably) categorized as 'psychedelics', have emerged as potential...
Current Addiction Reports
2025
Nina Abukahok, Nicole D. Fitzgerald, Joseph J Palamar
Tusi, also known as "pink cocaine," has emerged across nightlife scenes in Latin America, Europe, Australia, and the United States (US). Tusi is typically a drug mixture containing ketamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Due to tusi's inconsistent chemical makeup, surveillance and harm reduction efforts have proven difficult for researchers and consumers alike. This review...
Current Addiction Reports
September 8, 2023
Anna Ross, Jake Hawthorn
Abstract Purpose of Review The use of certain illicit substances as a form of therapy, and particularly as an adjunct to psychotherapy, has gained increasing media and academic attention over the last decade, culminating in what has been coined “the psychedelic renaissance.” This section in Current Addiction Reports has been developed in order to highlight the new and emerging research around...