Expectant mothers who smoke heavily while pregnant run the risk of having kids who grow up to become repeat criminal offenders, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The findings held true, even after taking account of a comprehensive range of family and social factors, such as mental ill health [...]

Two new studies confirm the serious unhealthy effects caused by water pipe smoking (WPS), including reduced lung function and other cardiorespiratory conditions. In one study, researchers from the State University of New York at Buffalo found that, compared with people who do not smoke, water pipe smoking was associated with a significant reduction in lung [...]

FHI.no – Methadone has been used to treat heroin addicts for nearly 50 years. Yet we have surprisingly incomplete knowledge about possible harmful effects from prolonged use. New research from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health shows that methadone affects the brain and impairs the attention of experimental animals. In general, opioids such as heroin [...]

Marijuana use during adolescence and young adulthood increases the risk of psychotic symptoms almost two-fold, while continued cannabis (marijuana) use may increase the risk for psychotic disorder in later life, concludes a new study published on bmj.com. Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in the world, particularly among adolescents, and is consistently linked [...]

UNSW.edu.au – A new study has provided the first conclusive evidence that marijuana (cannabis) use significantly speeds the onset of psychotic illnesses during the critical years of brain development – with possible life-long consequences. The first ever meta-analysis of more than 20,000 patients shows that smoking cannabis is associated with an earlier onset of psychotic [...]

UWM.edu – The potential for development of a first-ever pharmacological treatment for cocaine addiction has been found in two separate discoveries by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). In one study, a common beta blocker, propranolol, currently used to treat hypertension and anxiety, has shown to be effective in preventing the brain from retrieving [...]