Medetomidine and Other Emerging Substances in the US Street Drug Supply
This presentation will review the history of US street drug markets since the early 1990s to explain the emergence of medetomidine, nitazenes, xylazine, and other synthetic substances in regional markets formerly dominated by heroin and cocaine. It will examine the relationship between each of these newly prevalent synthetic substances and describe what we know so far about their impact on overdose, withdrawal treatment, HIV, and related comorbidities. Finally, this event will assess how the public health impact of recent transformations to the US narcotics supply relates to the experience of drug consumption and the actual way that people use drugs in their everyday lives. The event is intended for specialists and non-specialists in the fields of public health, addiction, prevention, and the public at large.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Explain how the sudden expansion of medetomidine, xylazine, and crystal methamphetamine use is related to the history of US drug markets since 1990.
- Define how each of these substances relate to one another in the experience of consumption and in their public health impact, including on withdrawal/detox treatment and drug overdose risk.
- Examine avenues for novel public health interventions to minimize the risk of HIV, drug overdose, and related comorbidities, as well as to regulate drug markets to make them less toxic and less economically exploitative for both people who use drugs and people who sell them.
Virtual
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