The Log
Archive
266 stories, newest first.
May 2026
- May 21Policy & Funding
April is the deadline. May could be the rollback. SAMHSA's OTP rule and the H.R. 5629 fight, explained.
SAMHSA's 2024 OTP rule hits its first compliance deadline this month — even as a House bill (H.R. 5629) seeks to nullify the methadone and telehealth flexibilities it created.
- May 21Policy & Funding
The illegal disposable vape market is 70% of U.S. sales — and a new GAO report says enforcement isn't close to keeping up
A new GAO report finds that unauthorized disposable vapes make up roughly 70% of the U.S. e-cigarette market while federal enforcement remains largely administrative.
- May 21Science & Medicine
GLP-1s and addiction: how Ozempic, Wegovy, and the next generation could remap alcohol treatment
GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide are showing promise across alcohol, opioid, nicotine, and cannabis use disorders. Here's what the 2026 research says — and what it can't tell us yet.
- May 21Science & Medicine
Substance Spotlight: dissociatives — ketamine clinics, Spravato, and the regulatory gray zone
Spravato (esketamine) is the only FDA-approved dissociative for psychiatry. IV ketamine clinics, compounded ketamine, and racemic ketamine for SUD all operate outside that approval. A spotlight on what dissociatives are, where they fit clinically, and where the gaps are.
- May 21Harm Reduction
Naloxone vending machines and $19 OTC Narcan: the new harm-reduction infrastructure
Travis County is installing 13 new naloxone vending machines this spring. California's CalRx program is selling OTC Narcan at $19. Arizona's Hikma-settlement shipment of 13,198 doses lands in September. The harm-reduction distribution layer is being rebuilt — fast.
- May 21Policy & Funding
SAMHSA puts $45M+ into young-adult recovery housing — what it could mean for Arizona
SAMHSA awarded more than $45M in supplemental State Opioid Response funding to expand recovery housing for young adults with opioid or stimulant use disorder. Why this matters for the most-failed link in the U.S. recovery system.
- May 21Policy & Funding
Telehealth for addiction medicine, extended again: what the DEA's fourth one-year extension means in 2026
On December 31, 2025, the DEA and HHS issued the fourth straight one-year extension of telemedicine flexibilities for controlled-substance prescribing. Here's what's covered and what's still unresolved heading into 2026.
- May 21The Crisis, By the Numbers
When Narcan isn't enough: what the CDC's medetomidine advisory means for Arizona
On April 2, 2026, the CDC and ONDCP issued a rare joint Health Advisory about medetomidine — a veterinary tranquilizer now appearing in U.S. fentanyl. Naloxone reverses the opioid, but not the sedative. Here's what people in recovery, families, and Arizona providers need to know.
- May 21Science & Medicine
Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome: the cannabis-related condition most clinicians still miss
Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) causes cyclic vomiting in long-term cannabis users, often goes misdiagnosed for years, and only resolves with cessation. New research is mapping the biology — here's where the science stands in 2026.
- May 21Arizona Watch
Arizona's next naloxone shipment: 13,198 doses headed to communities this fall
Arizona has elected to receive 6,599 units of nasal naloxone — 13,198 doses — from the Hikma settlement, with shipment scheduled for September 2026. Here's where settlement money is going.
- May 21Science & Medicine
UC Riverside hosts inaugural methamphetamine summit — a long-overdue research signal
UC Riverside's first system-wide methamphetamine summit on April 20, 2026 signals a renewed academic push on stimulant use disorder — a category that has trailed opioids in research investment despite rising overdose involvement.
- May 21Science & Medicine
FDA fast-tracks three psychedelic therapies: what it means — and what it doesn't
FDA awarded priority review vouchers to three psychedelic-therapy developers on April 24, 2026. Here's what changed, what didn't, and why the policy framing matters more than the headlines.
- May 21Science & Medicine
Daily Pulse: 42 Addiction Experts Publish Best Practices for Starting MOUD in the Hospital
A JAMA Network Open Delphi consensus from 42 hospital addiction-medicine experts lays out best practices for starting medications for opioid use disorder in patients using high-potency synthetic opioids — the patient population current bup induction protocols struggle with.
- May 21Science & Medicine
Daily Pulse: One Year After the Lykos Rejection, the Psychedelic Field Is Quieter — and More Methodical
A year after the FDA's rejection of Lykos's MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, the psychedelic industry has quietly restructured. Lykos has cut 75% of its headcount; its CEO has stepped down; the rest of the field is pivoting toward conventional Phase III rigor.
- May 21Science & Medicine
Daily Pulse: Adding CBT to GLP-1 Drugs Further Cuts Heavy Drinking, NIH Reports
A new NIH summary of research finds that combining GLP-1 receptor agonists with cognitive behavioral therapy reduces heavy drinking more than either alone — the strongest case yet for treating alcohol use disorder with a medication and a behavioral therapy as a single integrated treatment.
- May 21Harm Reduction
Substance Spotlight: The Drug Supply Stops Being Just Fentanyl
The May 12 DEA advisory describes a supply in which fentanyl is one ingredient among several. Here is what that changes — for naloxone, for overdose response, and for the families learning both for the first time.
- May 21Arizona Watch
Three Arizona Headwinds in One Week: What the May Data Actually Says About Our State
National overdoses dropped 14 percent. Arizona's rose 17.31 percent. In one week, three pieces of news show why our state can no longer point to the national curve as the story.
- May 8Science & Medicine
Novel & Emerging Psychoactives: Xylazine, Nitazenes, Kratom, Tianeptine
Novel psychoactive substances in 2026 — xylazine, medetomidine, nitazenes, kratom, tianeptine, designer benzos: emerging supply patterns and harm profiles.
- May 8Science & Medicine
Inhalants: The Substance Class Nobody Talks About
Inhalants in 2026 — volatile solvents, aerosols, nitrites, nitrous: the overlooked class with 'sudden sniffing death' risk and youth-first use patterns.
- May 8Science & Medicine
Nicotine & Tobacco in 2026
Nicotine and tobacco in 2026 — combustible tobacco, vaping, nicotine pouches: the science, the policy, the FDA-approved cessation meds, and what's working.
- May 8Science & Medicine
Psychedelics & Empathogens in 2026
Psychedelics and empathogens in 2026 — psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, ibogaine, DMT: pharmacology, addiction treatment research, policy, and the risks the hype overlooks.
- May 8Science & Medicine
Dissociatives: Ketamine, PCP, DXM, Nitrous
Dissociatives in 2026 — ketamine (therapeutic + recreational), PCP, DXM, nitrous oxide: pharmacology, ketamine-assisted therapy evidence, and emerging use disorder.
- May 8Science & Medicine
Cannabinoids in 2026: From Flower to Delta-8 to Synthetic Spice
Cannabinoids in 2026 — cannabis, high-potency concentrates, synthetic cannabinoids, and the unregulated Delta-8/HHC hemp products: what's actually known.
- May 8Science & Medicine
Non-Opioid Depressants: Benzos, Z-Drugs, and the Ones You Didn't Know About
Non-opioid depressants in 2026 — benzodiazepines, Z-drugs, barbiturates, GHB: pharmacology, dependency, tapering, and designer benzo trends.