Research published in American Journal on Addictions

Annual Meeting Bundle: Three activities highlighted in this 4.25‐CME bundle that includes the psychedelic debate

American Journal on Addictions February 25, 2026

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Brief report: Ketamine-assisted "bridge therapy" for opioid tapering in complex cases.

American Journal on Addictions January 28, 2026 Mariana C De Oliveira, Cláudia C De Araujo Palmeira, André B Negrão et al. 1 citation

Opioid use disorder (OUD) presents major challenges, especially when combined with chronic pain and psychiatric comorbidities. A 25-year-old woman with OUD, chronic pain, and major depressive disorder underwent an 8-week protocol of intravenous ketamine infusions (0.5 mg/kg weekly) as an adjunct to opioid tapering. Methadone dosage was reduced by 50%, with improved pain and craving control,...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.70131 Full text

Effects of persistent cannabis use on depression, psychosis, and suicidality following cannabis‐induced psychosis: A longitudinal study

American Journal on Addictions September 1, 2025 Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Giovanni Martinotti et al.

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesCannabis use is associated with psychotic disorder onset and exacerbation. This study examines how continued cannabis use affects depressive symptoms, psychotic symptoms, and suicidal behaviors following cannabis‐induced first‐episode psychosis (FEP).MethodsSixty‐five participants (aged 16–50 years) with FEP were recruited from psychiatric inpatient facilities...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.70048

A review of the complex intersection between religion, spirituality, and harm reduction.

American Journal on Addictions May 10, 2025 Jessica Van Denend, Jeremy Weleff, Kelly Park et al.

Within substance use research, religion and spirituality (r/s) have been understudied in relation to harm reduction approaches. We perform a literature review to characterize various intersections between r/s and harm reduction. We searched major databases, Google Scholar, and other sources for academic articles and gray literature on the intersection between r/s and harm reduction. We describe...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.70046 Full text Harm reduction Substance use treatment Religious beliefs Spirituality +1

Brief report: The influence of childhood trauma on the effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in persons with opioid use disorder.

American Journal on Addictions May 1, 2024 Michael Rogan, Julio C Nunes, Catherine Z Xie et al. 2 citations

Childhood trauma (CT) increases addiction vulnerability. We examined CT's impact on delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) effects. This is a post-hoc analysis of a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial investigating the effects of oral THC (10, 20 mg) among 25 persons receiving methadone for opioid use disorder (OUD). Greater CT was associated with lower aversive effects from higher THC...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.13504 Full text

Brief report: Synthetic cannabinoid use among military personnel.

American Journal on Addictions January 2024 John Stogner, Orion Santangelo, Julie Marie Baldwin

Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) may function as a marijuana alternative for soldiers subject to frequent drug screens, yet no study has interviewed past military users of SCs. Veterans participating in eight US veterans treatment courts were interviewed (n = 318; response rate = 54.9%). Thematic analyses were completed. Sixty-five veterans (21.3%) reported SC use. Three major themes were...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.13482 Full text

Addiction specialists' attitudes toward psychedelics: A National Survey.

American Journal on Addictions November 1, 2023 Amanda Kim, Joji Suzuki 15 citations

In recent years, there has been accelerating scientific and public interest in the use of psychedelics to treat mental health disorders. Our study's objective was to assess the attitudes of addiction specialists regarding therapeutic psychedelics. Our study utilized an anonymous online survey to assess the opinions of 145 addiction specialists regarding the therapeutic promise, potential risks,...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.13461 Full text

Assessing the quality of publicly available videos on MDMA‐assisted psychotherapy for PTSD

American Journal on Addictions November 1, 2022 Mariam Kyarunts, Meghna P. Mansukhani, Larissa L. Loukianova et al. 26 citations

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesPatients increasingly rely on the Internet for healthcare information. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of videos on 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)‐assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on YouTube™.MethodsYouTube™ was searched for the terms “MDMA” and “PTSD.” The 100 most viewed videos were analyzed using three...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.13325

Trends in DMT and other tryptamine use among young adults in the United States

American Journal on Addictions September 27, 2018 Joseph J Palamar, Austin Le 35 citations

Background and Objectives The popularity of tryptamines such as N,N ‐dimethyltryptamine (DMT) appears to be increasing in the United States (US), but epidemiologic literature on prevalence of use is scant. This paper aims to determine trends in prevalence and correlates of past‐year tryptamine use among a nationally representative sample of young adults in the US. Methods Participants in the...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.12803 Full text Ecstasy Tryptamines Population Demography +1

Case series: Salvia divinorum as a potential addictive hallucinogen.

American Journal on Addictions April 1, 2018 Joseph El-Khoury, Evelyne Baroud 3 citations

Recreational use of salvia divinorum (salvia), a potent, naturally occurring hallucinogen, is on the rise internationally. Despite the paucity of information about its long-term health effects, salvia is readily available and generally portrayed as a safe non-addictive substance. We report on two patients who presented with an enduring and pervasive pattern of salvia use. Evaluating patients...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.12715 Full text Salvia divinorum Substance use disorder Addiction S. divinorum +11

Comparing triggers to visual disturbances among individuals with positive vs negative experiences of hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD) following LSD use.

American Journal on Addictions September 2017 Shaul Lev-Ran, Daniel Feingold, Craig Goodman et al.

Exploring differences in visual disturbances and triggers between Hallucinogen-Persisting-Perceptual-Disorder (HPPD) Type I ("positive/benign") and II ("negative/distressing"). Forty individuals with HPPD and prior LSD use completed clinical questionnaires. The most common type of visual disturbances among individuals with HPPD I and II was slow movement of still objects and trailing phenomena,...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.12577 Full text

"Just one bad high:" considering synthetic cannabinoid outcome expectancies in adolescents.

American Journal on Addictions December 2016 David S. Mathai, Christopher D. Verrico, Daryl Shorter et al.

Certain medical consequences seem unique to synthetic cannabinoid (SC) and not cannabis use. We report the case of an adolescent, whose drug expectancies appear to minimize the severity of SC-related adverse events. An 18-year-old male presented with altered mental status and seizure, complicated by respiratory failure. He was stabilized and on discharge, despite counseling on the harms of SC...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.12457 Full text

Correlates of new psychoactive substance use among a self-selected sample of nightclub attendees in the United States.

American Journal on Addictions August 1, 2016 Joseph J Palamar, Monica J Barratt, Jason Ferris et al. 49 citations

Although new psychoactive substances (NPS) continue to emerge at a rapid rate, US national surveys only measure the use of non-specific categories of NPS and are not designed to access high-risk populations. In this paper we report lifetime use of specific NPS (of 58) and examine correlates of use among a high-risk population: nightlife attendees. The self-selected sample from the Global Drug...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.12403 Full text Synthetic cannabinoids Stimulants Nps New psychoactive substances +8

Mania following use of ibogaine: A case series.

American Journal on Addictions April 1, 2015 Cole Marta, Wesley C Ryan, Alex Kopelowicz et al. 17 citations

Ibogaine is a naturally occurring hallucinogen with postulated anti-addictive qualities. While illegal domestically, a growing number of individuals have sought it out for treatment of opiate dependence, primarily in poorly regulated overseas clinics. Existing serious adverse events include cardiac and vestibular toxicity, though ours is the first report of mania stemming from its use. To...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.12209 Full text Ibogaine therapy Psychoactive drug Addiction treatment substance Mania +11

Schizophrenia and hallucinogen persisting perception disorder: A clinical investigation.

American Journal on Addictions April 2015 Shaul Lev-Ran, Daniel Feingold, Dmitri Rudinski et al.

We compared characteristics of schizophrenia patients with prior LSD use who developed hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (SCH+HPPD) with those who did not (SCH-HPPD). Data were collected for 37 subjects in the SCH+HPPD group and 43 subjects in the SCH-HPPD group. Socio-demographics and positive symptom scores were similar between groups. Individuals in the SCHIZO+HPPD group scored...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.12204 Full text

Intensive ketamine use for multiple years: A case report.

American Journal on Addictions 2015 James X. Liu, Erin Zerbo, Stephen Ross 17 citations

Ketamine is known within the medical field for its anesthetic properties, yet its unique psychedelic and antidepressant properties are being increasingly recognized. We document the case of a patient with bipolar I disorder and an extensive history of substance dependence who used large doses of ketamine (1-3 g) on a daily basis over a period of 5 years, and described acute antidepressant...

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.12153 Ketamine recovery Ketamine rehabilitation Ketamine healing Ketamine remission +12

Intensive ketamine use for multiple years: A case report

American Journal on Addictions October 1, 2014 James X. Liu, Erin Zerbo, Stephen Ross 1 citation

Ketamine is known within the medical field for its anesthetic properties, yet its unique psychedelic and antidepressant properties are being increasingly recognized. We document the case of a patient with bipolar I disorder and an extensive history of substance dependence who used large doses of ketamine (1–3 g) on a daily basis over a period of 5 years, and described acute antidepressant...

DOI: 10.1002/ajad.12153.x Ketamine Addiction Antidepressant Cognition +3

Prevalence of reported peyote use 1985-2010 effects of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1994.

American Journal on Addictions 2014 Bob Prue 16 citations

Peyote was classified as a hallucinogen in the Drug Abuse Control Act of 1965, leaving American Indian (AI) religious use in legal ambiguity. In 1994, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act was amended to unambiguously protect the right of religious use of peyote for AIs. The purpose of this article is to report the prevalence rates of peyote use by AIs compared to the rest of the US...

DOI: 10.1111/j.1521-0391.2013.12083.x Full text

Individual mindfulness-based psychotherapy for cannabis or cocaine dependence: a pilot feasibility trial.

American Journal on Addictions August 30, 2013 Elias Dakwar, Frances R. Levin

Background: Mindfulness-based approaches may be effective treatments for substance use disorders (SUDs), but they have only been investigated for SUDs in the group setting. Methods: A novel 10-week individual mindfulness-based psychotherapy was provided weekly to participants. Tolerability and therapeutic feasibility were assessed by retention rates, incidence of adverse events or clinical...

DOI: 10.1111/j.1521-0391.2013.12036.x Full text Mindfulness Humans Cocaine-related disorders Marijuana abuse +7

Cannabis psychosis: examining the evidence for a distinctive psychopathology in a systematic and narrative review.

American Journal on Addictions November 1, 2012 Alexander Baldacchino, Zoe Hughes, Michael Kehoe et al.

The term "cannabis psychosis" has become ubiquitous in the psychiatric literature. Few authors have described the precise psychopathology of this potentially distinct subtype of psychosis. Specifically, little attention has been paid to exploring whether cannabis psychosis is characterized by a psychopathology which is different from that of other types of psychosis. The purpose of this paper...

DOI: 10.1111/j.1521-0391.2012.00295.x Full text

Hallucinogen Use Disorders Among Adult Users of MDMA and Other Hallucinogens

American Journal on Addictions September 3, 2008 Li-Tzy Wu, Christopher L. Ringwalt, Paolo Mannelli et al. 30 citations

We investigated the prevalence, patterns, and correlates of past‐year DSM‐IV hallucinogen use disorders (HUDs) among past‐year users of MDMA and other hallucinogens from a sample of Americans 18 or older (n = 37,227). Users were categorized as MDMA users and other hallucinogen users. Overall, one in five (20%) MDMA users and about one in six (16%) other hallucinogen users reported at least one...

DOI: 10.1080/10550490802269064 MDMA Cannabis Hallucinogen

Searching the Internet for drug-related web sites: analysis of online available information on ecstasy (MDMA).

American Journal on Addictions 2007 Paolo Deluca, Fabrizio Schifano

Although the Internet is a growing source of information on MDMA/ecstasy, no studies so far have investigated the level and quality of ecstasy information available to the typical Web user. In the present study, 280 Web sites were identified and analyzed; 50.4% had an anti-drug approach, 16.2% a harm reduction approach, and 24.8% a pro-drug approach. MDMA pro-drug Web sites appeared...

DOI: 10.1080/10550490701641181 Full text

Treatment of acute opioid withdrawal with ibogaine.

American Journal on Addictions 1999 Kenneth Alper, Howard S. Lotsof, Geerte M. N. Frenken et al. 201 citations

Ibogaine is an alkaloid with putative effect in acute opioid withdrawal. Thirty-three cases of treatments for the indication of opioid detoxification performed in non-medical settings under open label conditions are summarized involving an average daily use of heroin of .64 +/- .50 grams, primarily by the intravenous route. Resolution of the signs of opioid withdrawal without further drug...

DOI: 10.1080/105504999305848 Full text Ibogaine Acute withdrawal signs Heroin rapid detoxification Significant relief +2

Cannabis Psychotic Disorder

American Journal on Addictions 1994 Amanda J. Gruber, Harrison G. Pope 25 citations

Although “cannabis‐induced delusional disorder” is recognized in DSM‐III‐R and appears as “cannabis psychotic disorder” in the draft criteria for DSM‐IV, little information on this entity is available. The authors reviewed available studies of psychiatric syndromes attributed to cannabis use and then surveyed 9,432 admissions at two psychiatric centers, seeking cases of cannabis‐induced...

DOI: 10.1111/j.1521-0391.1994.tb00229.x

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