2022 College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) Annual Scientific Meeting

Invited Session: Beyond Delta-9-THC: The Blossoming of Minor Cannabinoids
Sunday, June 12, 4:30-6:00 PM | Minneapolis ABC
The cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa/indica) has long been used for medicinal purposes. In addition to its major psychoactive constituent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)], cannabis contains over 100 phytocannabinoids as well as over 500 other identified chemicals, including the terpenoids that give cannabis its distinctive flavoring and aroma. The degree to which these minor plant constituents contribute to the psychoactive and medicinal effects of cannabis is under active investigation. The speakers in this symposium will provide an overview of their work with selected minor cannabinoids, ranging from molecular pharmacology to preclinical studies and clinical trials.
Speakers: Jenny Wiley (Chair), Inna Belfer (Co-Chair) (NIH/NIAAA), Sara Jane Ward (Temple University), Yasmin Hurd (Mount Sinai), Staci Gruber (Harvard Medical School)
Symposium Presentation Topics:

• NCCIH Programmatic Priorities and Funding Related to Minor Cannabinoids (Belfer)
• Minor Phytocannabinoid Interactions With CB1 and CB2 Receptors (Wiley)
• Evaluation of Analgesic and Protective Effects of Minor Cannabinoids in Animal Models (Ward)
• Translating Cannabidiol for Opioid Use Disorder and Related Phenotypes (Hurd)
• A Major Role for Minor Cannabinoids? Examining Real World Products from Medical Cannabis Patients (Gruber)

The Importance of Gender, Culture and Intersectional Issues in Substance Use Interventions: Lessons in Health Disparity Research in South Africa and the U.S.
Monday, June 13, 10:00-11:30 AM | Minneapolis ABC
There is a dearth of evidence-based interventions that explicitly address substance use for populations of African descent. Moreover, evidence has shown that interventions that are intersectional and more comprehensive have greater impact with substance use outcomes. The specific aims of the symposium are to (1) share the stages of intervention research and lessons learned conducting NIH-funded cross-cultural and global collaborative research, including community and youth advisory boards and key populations who use substances, and (2) present the process and outcome evaluation data from evidence-based substance use interventions for young women, women who are pregnant and couples of African descent.
Speakers: Felicia Browne (Chair), Wendee Wechsberg (Co-Chair) Tara Carney, Yukiko Washio
Moderator: Courtney Bonner
Symposium Presentation Topics:

• The Importance of Gender, Culture and Intersectional Issues in Substance Use Interventions: Lessons in Health Disparity Research in South Africa and the U.S. (Wechsberg)
• Intervening With Teens in the Cape Flats in South Africa Who Use Alcohol and Other Drugs and Report Other Risk Behaviors: What Works? (Wechsberg)
• Outcomes From a Randomized Trial Reaching Young African American Women Who Use Drugs and Alcohol (Browne)
• Multilevel Strategies for Young Couples Who Use Alcohol & Other Drugs in Cape Town, South Africa: Formative Research Findings to Adapt a Biobehavioural Intervention for Couples and Address Community Stigma (Carney)
• Addressing Maternal Alcohol and Substance Use and Preventing Adverse Infant Outcomes in South Africa (Washio)

Learnings From the Rural Opioid Initiative About Methods to Conduct Research With Rural PWUD
Monday, June 13, 7:00-9:00 PM | Orchestra CD
Over the past 20 years, drug-related epidemics have expanded from metropolitan areas into rural areas. This workshop is designed to strengthen participants’ capacities to plan and conduct rigorous research with people who use drugs (PWUD) and live in rural areas.
Speakers: Richard Jenkins (Chair) (NIH), Vivian Go (University of North Carolina), Mai Pho (Tufts University School of Medicine), William Zule, April Young (University of Kentucky), Hannah Cooper (Emory University), Mai Pho (University of Chicago)
Workshop Presentation Topics:

• Historical & Sociocultural Drug-Use Contexts in Rural America: A Multi-Site Qualitative Study (Go)
• Recruitment & Retention of Rural PWUD: Lessons From Appalachian Kentucky (Pho, Tufts University)
• Epidemiologic, Policy & Vulnerability Scans for Rural Opioid-Related Risks (Pho, University of Chicago)
• Maximizing Benefits & Avoiding Pitfalls When Collaborating With Rural Health Departments for Harm Reduction (Zule)
• Epidemiologic, Policy & Vulnerability Scans for Rural Opioid-Related Risks (Young)

**Bold names indicate RTI experts

Creation of a Simple Microsimulation Model for Assessing the Impact of Treatment on Opioid Misuse in North Carolina
Saturday, June 11, 6:00 AM-10:00 PM | (Digital Poster)
The aim of this study is to develop a simple microsimulation model that can be used to quickly evaluate the effects of policy decisions on access to treatment for opioid misuse in North Carolina. By creating a flexible microsimulation model calibrated to North Carolina, we can assess multiple scenarios and parameters.
Authors: Georgiy Bobashev*, Kasey Jones

Perspectives of Health Consumers With HIV on Inte­­gration of Pharmacological Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment in HIV Care
Sunday, June 12, 11:30 AM-1:30 PM | Marquette Ballroom
Rates of mental health disorders and alcohol use disorder among persons living with HIV are disproportionately high. Many people living with HIV who have untreated encounter issues with retention in HIV care. Therefore, addressing and improving the integration of pharmacotherapy for mental health and alcohol use disorder in HIV care is a key component to increasing retention rates and ending the epidemic.
Authors: Erin Cox, Suzanne Singer (University of North Carolina), Felicia Browne, Wendee Wechsberg, Courtney Bonner*

What's Driving the Increases in Methamphetamine Overdose Deaths That Do Not Involve Opioids?
Sunday, June 12, 11:30 AM-1:30 PM | Marquette Ballroom
Methamphetamine overdose deaths that do not involve opioids continue to rise, but the factors driving these increases remain unclear. Historically, overdose deaths involving methamphetamine without opioids have been rare. This presentation explores the contribution of older methamphetamine users with age-related comorbidities on these increases.
Authors: Dalia Khoury*, William Zule, Caitlin Hennessy

Preliminary Findings From a Tool for Calculating the Effects of Replacing High Dead Space Syringes in Naloxone Kits With Reduced Dead Space Alternatives
Sunday, June 12, 11:30 AM-1:30 PM | Marquette Ballroom
Harm reduction programs (HRPs) in the United States distribute over 1-million vials of injectable naloxone annually in kits that typically include instructions, two 1-mL vials of naloxone, and two 3-mL high dead space syringes (HDS). These syringes waste 10% of a naloxone vial in the dead space. We examined the impact of replacing current HDS with reduced dead space (RDS) syringes in naloxone kits to reduce naloxone waste.
Authors: William Zule*, Dalia Khoury, Caitlin Hennessy, Delesha Carpenter (University of North Carolina), Bayla Ostrach (Boston University School of Medicine), Georgiy Bobashev

Principles and Metrics for Evaluating Oregon’s Drug Decriminalization Measure: Centering the Voices of People Who Use Drugs
Monday, June 13, 8:00-10:00 AM | Marquette Ballroom
In 2021, Oregon became the first U.S. State to decriminalize personal possession of small amounts of all drugs while expanding access to addiction recovery and harm reduction services through new investments of $302 million dollars over two years. A departure from decades of punitive approaches to drug problems, Measure 110 (The Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act of 2020) is being carefully followed by policymakers and advocates across the US and around the world. Its success or failure has the potential to shape drug policy in the US for decades to come, but “success” or “failure” is entirely dependent on what outcomes are being measured, how the data are gathered, and whether the findings are understood within the broader context of what is happening on the ground in Oregon.
Authors: Alex Kral*, Jules Netherland (Drug Policy Alliance), Riona Morgan (Drug Policy Alliance), Danielle Ompad (New York University), Corey Davis (National Health Law Program), Haven Wheelock (Outside In), Ricky Bluthenthal (University of Southern California), Nabarun Dasgupta (University of North Carolina), Michael Gilbert (Booz Allen Hamilton), Theshia Nadoo (Drug Policy Alliance)

Identification of Substances Used in Self-Medication of Opioid Withdrawal: Natural Language Processing Study of Reddit Data
Monday, June 13, 10:15-10:30 AM | Symphony Ballroom III
Social media is a promising source of data on self-medication of opioid withdrawal. The aim of this study was to develop and validate methodology for identifying substances used to treat symptoms of opioid withdrawal by a community of people on the social media site Reddit. The results suggest that this methodology is a valid way to study the self-treatment behavior of an online community of people who use opioids. Our Withdrawal Remedy Explorer application provides a platform to use these data for pharmacovigilance, identification of new treatments, and better understanding the needs of people undergoing opioid withdrawal. Furthermore, this approach could be applied to many other disease states where people self-manage their symptoms and discuss their experiences online.
Authors: Georgiy Bobashev*, Alexander Preiss, Peter Baumgartner, Mark Edlund

Virtual Opioid User: Reproducing Opioid Use Phenomena With a Control Theory Model
Monday, June 13, 5:30-6:30 PM | Marquette Ballroom
The aim of this work was to develop a control theory model capable of reproducing pathways to opioid use disorder under different dosing conditions and individual characteristics, as well as a web application allowing users to interact with the model. Our computational model creates the basis for a natural history of opioid use, which is critically needed to understand policy implications at the individual level.
Authors: Alexander Preiss*, Georgiy Bobashev

Efficacy of Screening and Referral to Targeted Prevention That is Founded on the Liability-Threshold Model
Tuesday, June 14, 8:00-10:00 AM | Marquette Ballroom
Response to the opioid epidemic, other recent substance use (SU) endemics, and related drug overdoses have largely involved treatment and overdose prevention, with less development of primary prevention targeting high-risk youths. We hypothesized that SU among high-risk youths would be reduced by a well-child check-up screening and prevention (SAP) program for youths with high liability to early adolescent SU.
Authors: Ty Ridenour*, Daniel Shaw (University of Pittsburgh), Chardee Galan (University of Southern California)

Adverse Infant and Child Outcomes by Continued Use of Alcohol and Other Substance Use During Pregnancy and 12-Month Postpartum
Tuesday, June 14, 2:30-2:45 PM | Symphony Ballroom III
The current report aimed to examine adverse effect of combined use of alcohol and other substance during pregnancy and 12-month postpartum on infant growth outcomes. This work found that emphasis in substance and alcohol use treatment needs to be made to distinguish education and intervention contents focused on combined use of substance and alcohol throughout pregnancy and first year postpartum including providing proper maternal and infant care for women in substance and alcohol use treatment.
Authors: Yukiko Washio*, Mona Lisa Baishya (Temple University), Zugui Zhang (Christiana Care), Bronwyn Myers (Curtin University), Dan Stein (University of Cape Town), Heather Zar (University of Cape Town), Nadia Hoffman (University of Cape Town), Kirsty Donald (University of Cape Town), Susan Malcolm-Smith (University of Cape Town), Petal Peterson-Williams (South African Medical Research Council)

Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on Nicotine Self-Administration in a Rodent Co-Abuse Model
Tuesday, June 14, 3:45-4:00 PM | Symphony Ballroom III
This study evaluated the effects of post-session and pre-session administration of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on intravenous nicotine self-administration. We hypothesized that nicotine in combination with THC enhances reinforcing effects compared to those of either substance alone.
Authors: Julie Marusich*

*Presenting Author
**Bold names indicate RTI experts