The Log
Archive
261 stories, newest first.
May 2026
- May 28Science & Medicine
FDA Grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation to LSD for Generalized Anxiety — What It Means for Addiction Treatment
FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to MindMed's LSD formulation MM-120 for generalized anxiety disorder. 65% response rate, 48% remission at 12 weeks.
- May 28Science & Medicine
42 Experts Agree: Here's How to Start Opioid Medications in Fentanyl-Era Hospitals
JAMA Network Open published expert consensus on hospital MOUD initiation for fentanyl-era patients. High-dose buprenorphine and rapid methadone induction now backed by 42 addiction medicine specialists.
- May 27Science & Medicine
The Psychology Behind Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy for Addiction
As Compass Pathways targets a Q4 2026 NDA for COMP360 psilocybin and the FDA fast-tracks three psychedelic therapies, what do we actually know about why these compounds work — or fail — as addiction medicine?
- May 27Arizona Watch
Arizona Opioid Settlement Is Paying for Methadone in Maricopa Jails
Maricopa County is expanding medication for opioid use disorder inside county jails, funded by Arizona $1.215 billion opioid settlement — a direct, evidence-based use of settlement dollars that could significantly reduce post-release overdose risk.
- May 27Science & Medicine
FDA Clears First U.S. Ibogaine-Derivative Trial for Alcohol Use Disorder
The FDA has accepted DemeRx IND application for DMX-1001, an oral noribogaine treatment for alcohol use disorder — the first ibogaine-derived compound cleared for U.S. clinical study.
- May 27Harm Reduction
SAMHSA Bans Federal Funding for Fentanyl Test Strips and Clean Syringes
SAMHSA has formally banned use of federal grant dollars for fentanyl test strips, clean syringes, and xylazine test strips. An estimated $1.7 billion in harm reduction funding has been eliminated or frozen since January 2026.
- May 27Treatment & Recovery
Contingency Management Is Coming to Medicaid — and It Could Change Everything for Methamphetamine Recovery
Five states now offer Medicaid-covered contingency management for stimulant use disorder. With no FDA-approved medication for meth, this behavioral intervention is the most effective tool we have — and it is finally reaching people who could not afford it.
- May 26Treatment & Recovery
Ketamine's Regulatory Reckoning: Clinic Oversight, DEA Enforcement, and the Line Between Medicine and Misuse
2026 is a turning point for ketamine as a treatment: HHS/DEA issued new guidance in January, DEA enforcement shifted to clinic-level audits, and France became the first country to authorize IV ketamine for suicidal crisis.
- May 26Science & Medicine
Semaglutide Cuts Heavy Drinking by 41%: What The Lancet RCT Means for Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment
A Lancet RCT found once-weekly semaglutide reduced heavy drinking days by 41.1 percentage points versus 26.4 for placebo in adults with AUD and comorbid obesity. NNT 4.3 vs 7+ for currently approved AUD medications.
- May 26Harm Reduction
SAMHSA Bars Fentanyl Test Strips and Syringes From Federal Block Grant Spending
SAMHSA's April 2026 Dear Colleague letter removes federal funding eligibility for fentanyl test strips, sterile syringes, and safer smoking supplies. Naloxone and wound care remain covered. At least $257M in OD prevention programs have been cut.
- May 26Policy & Funding
FDA's Surprise Vaping Pivot: Unauthorized Flavored Products Can Now Stay on Shelves
The FDA issued guidance placing unauthorized e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches under enforcement discretion, allowing flavored products onto the market without the agency's traditional premarket review. FDA staff say they were blindsided.
- May 26Science & Medicine
The Meth Treatment Gap: Why Stimulant Use Disorder Remains Hard to Treat — And What's Finally Changing
Methamphetamine use disorder has no FDA-approved medications, and contingency management remains underused due to policy barriers. Here is what the evidence says about what actually works — and what is changing in 2026.
- May 25Treatment & Recovery
SAMHSA's New Advisory Tells Doctors: Cannabis Use Disorder Is Real, and You Need to Screen for It
SAMHSA's May 2026 advisory PEP26-07-003 provides the first federal clinical guidance specifically on Cannabis Use Disorder across the lifespan — with screening tools, treatment guidance, and a critical distinction between medical marijuana use and disorder.
- May 25Arizona Watch
Maricopa County Brings Opioid Medication Into Its Jails
Maricopa County is deploying Arizona opioid settlement funds to expand MOUD in county jails, starting treatment during incarceration and bridging to community providers on release.
- May 25Policy & Funding
FDA Fast-Tracks Psilocybin and Methylone With Priority Review Vouchers
The FDA issued National Priority Review Vouchers to three companies developing psilocybin and methylone therapies in April 2026, accelerating a regulatory timeline with major implications for addiction treatment.
- May 25Science & Medicine
Semaglutide Cuts Heavy Drinking in Landmark Lancet Trial
A 26-week Lancet randomized trial published May 2, 2026 found that once-weekly semaglutide significantly reduced heavy drinking days in adults with alcohol use disorder and obesity.
- May 25Lived Experience & Community
No Pill for This: The Lived Reality of Cocaine and Meth Recovery
For the 2.5 million Americans with cocaine or methamphetamine use disorders, there is no FDA-approved medication to ease the path. Here's who fills the gap — and what the evidence says about how.
- May 24Science & Medicine
Substance Spotlight: Benzodiazepines — The Overlooked Crisis, and a First Glimpse of a Pharmacological Solution
A Translational Psychiatry study identifies TPA023B as the first credible pharmacological candidate for benzodiazepine use disorder — blocking benzo self-administration in primates without precipitating withdrawal, using receptor selectivity that sidesteps the addiction-driving alpha-1 subunit.
- May 24The Crisis, By the Numbers
The Stimulant Treatment Gap: NIDA 2026 Update on a Crisis With No Approved Cure
No FDA-approved medications for cocaine or methamphetamine use disorder. Stimulant deaths still rising, with 70% involving fentanyl co-occurrence. NIDA 2026 update on what the pipeline holds and what contingency management can do right now.
- May 24Arizona Watch
Arizona Deploys Settlement Funds: MOUD in Jails, New Residential Beds on the Way
Maricopa County is deploying opioid settlement funds for MOUD in jails and community provider connections at release. AHCCCS issued an RFP for secure behavioral health residential facilities — two concrete steps as Arizona deploys $1.2B in settlement money.
- May 24Science & Medicine
FDA Fast-Tracks Psilocybin and Methylone With New Priority Review Vouchers
Three companies — Usona, Helus Pharma, and Transcend Therapeutics — received FDA National Priority Vouchers for psilocybin and methylone therapies after a White House executive order cut review timelines to 1-2 months.
- May 24Science & Medicine
The Lancet RCT: Semaglutide Reduces Heavy Drinking in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder
A May 2026 Lancet RCT confirms once-weekly semaglutide + CBT outperforms CBT alone for reducing heavy drinking in adults with AUD and comorbid obesity — the strongest clinical trial signal yet for GLP-1 in addiction medicine.
- May 24Policy & Funding
Two Policies, One Moment: The White House Says Test Strips Work — Then Blocks the Money to Buy Them
The ONDCP 2026 National Drug Control Strategy and HHS now hold directly contradictory positions on fentanyl test strips — and the gap between these two documents will determine whether community organizations can protect a 27% drop in overdose deaths.
- May 23Treatment & Recovery
The Medication Nobody's Taking: AUD Has Three FDA-Approved Treatments. Fewer Than 3% of People With the Disorder Receive Any of Them.
More than 29.5 million Americans have alcohol use disorder, but fewer than 3% receive medication — despite three FDA-approved options. New brain research shows recovery works on a longer timeline than assumed.