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View the NDEWS Weekly Briefing: Happy Holidays & Message from NDEWS Directors in your browser ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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FROM THE NDEWS DIRECTORS: A NOTE TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS
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Dear Subscribers,
We appreciate all of your participation. You have guided us, informed us, and helped us track emerging drugs over this past year, and kept us apprised of the trends in your area.
Many of you have told us how much you value the information we publish each week. For that, we are grateful. Continue to stay in touch and share your findings with us. We hope your end-of-year break is restful.
Happy Holidays!
Linda Cottler and Joey Palamar |
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NDEWS 2025 PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTS
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We're closing out 2025 with a highlight of this year's NDEWS publications. - Abukahok, N., Fitzgerald, N.D. & Palamar, J.J. An Update on the Epidemiology of Tusi (“Pink Cocaine”). Curr Addict Rep. 2025 Dec 21. DOI:10.1007/s40429-025-00706-y
- Fitzgerald ND, Palamar JJ. Commentary on Roberts et al.: Trends in methamphetamine-related deaths in the UK and USA-increasing mortality, but in different contexts. Addiction. 2025 Dec 19. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41416391. DOI: 10.1111/add.70305.
- Friedman JR, Palamar JJ, Ciccarone D, Gaines TL, Borquez A, Shover CL, Strathdee SA. Characterizing Declines in US Overdose Deaths Compared to Exponential Predictions. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2025 Oct 27:2025.10.24.25338732. PMID: 41282722; PMCID: PMC12636681. DOI: 10.1101/2025.10.24.25338732.
- Fitzgerald ND, Abukahok N, Palamar JJ. When pink powders shift the drug landscape: tusi (“pink cocaine”) and other colored powders. Int J Drug Policy. 2025 Dec;146:105044. Epub 2025 Oct 30. PMID: 41172674; PMCID: PMC12616815. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105044.
- Palamar JJ, Fitzgerald ND. The Epidemiology of Recreational Use and Availability of DOC and DOI in the United States. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2025 Oct 9:1-10. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41065346; PMCID: PMC12645445. DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2025.2570937.
- Fitzgerald ND, Palamar JJ, Cottler LB. Use of Illegally Manufactured Fentanyl in the United States: Current Trends. Curr Addict Rep. 2025 Dec;12(1):6. Epub 2025 Jan 29. PMID: 40814305; PMCID: PMC12346689. DOI: 10.1007/s40429-025-00625-y.
- Kerester S, Bloom J, Schwartz L, Mercurio-Zappala M, Palamar JJ, Su MK. Alkyl Nitrite (“Poppers”) Exposures in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Jul 1;8(7):e2523408. PMID: 40720127; PMCID: PMC12305381. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.23408.
- Palamar JJ, Abukahok N, Acosta P, Walton SE, Stang B, Krotulski AJ. Exposures to synthetic cathinones, fentanyl, and xylazine among nightclub attendees in New York City, 2024. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 Oct 1;275:112792. Epub 2025 Jul 16. PMID: 40706442; PMCID: PMC12313273. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112792.
- Delcher C, Shin E, Iyer A, Johnson TK, Winokur AD, Goldberger BA. Another carfentanil fatal outbreak in Florida? Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 Sep 1;274:112784. Epub 2025 Jul 7. PMID: 40675009; PMCID: PMC12287913. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112784.
- Zhu DT, Krotulski AJ, Palamar JJ. The Rapid Spread of a Novel Adulterant in the US Illicit Drug Supply-BTMPS. JAMA Intern Med. 2025 Sep 1;185(9):1057-1058. PMID: 40622687; PMCID: PMC12281105. DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.2307.
- Fitzgerald ND, Black JC, Cottler LB, Martins SS, Palamar JJ. Trends in Nonfatal Fentanyl Exposures Involving Stimulants in the United States, 2015-2023. Am J Prev Med. 2025 Sep;69(3):107742. Epub 2025 Jun 9. PMID: 40499622; PMCID: PMC12354242. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107742.
- Won NY, Wang A, Athay R, Striley CW, Cottler LB. Geographical Differences in Self-Reported Past 12-Month Drug Use: Results from the NDEWS Rapid Street Reporting, 2021-2023. Subst Use Misuse. 2025;60(11):1678-1689. Epub 2025 Jun 5. PMID: 40474383; PMCID: PMC12307110. DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2025.2511242.
- Fitzgerald ND, Palamar JJ, Cottler LB. Prevalence and correlates of self- reported new psychoactive substance use among adults in 20 US cities: Results from National Drug Early Warning System surveillance. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 Aug 1;273:112711. Epub 2025 May 14. PMID: 40412068; PMCID: PMC12162188. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112711.
- Palamar JJ, DeBord JS, Krotulski AJ, Goldberger BA. Local Anesthetics Adulterating the Illicit Fentanyl Supply. JAMA Psychiatry. 2025 Aug 1;82(8):755-756. PMID: 40397428; PMCID: PMC12328075. DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.0952.
- Sabo-Attwood T, Bowes DA, Bisesi JH Jr. Integrating community perspectives to enhance the utility of wastewater-based epidemiology for addressing substance use in the United States. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2025 May 19. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40396836. DOI: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000001016.
- Varela-Lema L, Correia SEA, Guerra-Tort C, Teijeiro A, Cottler LB, Ahluwalia JS, Perez-Rios M. Developing a sentinel network for illicit substance use monitoring in Spain: a qualitative approach to key determinants. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2025 May 19. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40396787. DOI: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000001017.
- Gipson C, Fallin-Bennett A, Khokhar J, Knackstedt L, Stoops W, Vickers-Smith R, Cottler L. A case against purity: prioritizing translational polysubstance use research. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2025 Apr 24. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40396755. DOI: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000001010.
- Palamar JJ, DeBord JS, Krotulski AJ, Goldberger BA. Local Anesthetics Adulterating the Illicit Fentanyl Supply. JAMA Psychiatry. 2025 May 21. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40397428. DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.0952.
- Fitzgerald ND, Palamar JJ, Cottler LB. Prevalence and correlates of self-reported new psychoactive substance use among adults in 20 US cities: Results from National Drug Early Warning System Surveillance. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2025 May 14. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112711.P
- Palamar JJ, Abukahok N, Le A. Synthetic cannabinoid use among noninstitutionalized individuals in the United States, 2021-2023. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 May 1;270:112603. Epub 2025 Feb 12. PMID: 40022818; PMCID: PMC11908885. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112603.
- Zhu DT, Palamar JJ. Responding to medetomidine: clinical and public health needs. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2025 Mar 6;44:101053. PMID: 40124591; PMCID: PMC11930164. DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2025.101053.
- Covered by 12 news stories.
- Palamar JJ, Jewell JS, El-Shahawy O, Black JC. Trends in poisonings involving ketamine in the United States, 2019-2023. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 Mar 1;268:112549. Epub 2025 Jan 11. PMID: 39827824; PMCID: PMC11832312. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112549.
- Covered by 7 news stories.
- Palamar JJ, Fitzgerald ND, Carr TH. An analysis of the size of law enforcement seizures of illicit fentanyl in the United States, 2018-2023. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2025 Mar;44(3):793-798. Epub 2025 Feb 18. PMID: 39967034; PMCID: PMC11901355. DOI: 10.1111/dar.14022.
- Palamar JJ, Cottler LB, Black JC. Nonfatal pediatric fentanyl exposures reported to US poison centers, 2015-2023. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2025 Mar 7:1-10. PMID: 40055875. DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2025.2457481.
- Altmetric: 710; covered by 107 news stories. Ranked by the journal as the #2 most read paper in 2025 (with 3185 views)
- Won NY, Gurka KK, Striley CW, Nixon SJ, Cottler LB. Drug use among individuals injured in non-fatal motor vehicle crashes and related policies in 2023. Traffic Inj Prev. 2025 Feb 25:1-9. PMID: 39998816. DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2025.2456952.
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Message from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA)
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The #HolidaySeason can be an extra stressful time for many people. When you offer support, you’re providing hope to those who may need it most. Find ways to support yourself and those around you: http://findsupport.gov
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Join the UF T32 Training Program in Substance Abuse and Public Health as a Pre or Postdoc! Work with the NDEWS Team!
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Are you committed to advancing the science of substance use and public health? The University of Florida’s NIDA-funded T32 Training Program offers predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars an exceptional opportunity to launch impactful research careers focused on NDEWS!
What We Offer:
- Interdisciplinary training at the intersection of addiction science, epidemiology, and surveillance
- Mentorship from leading UF faculty in epidemiology, public health, psychology, medicine, and more
- Hands-on research with landmark and important NIH-funded projects and access to rich data
- Career development support, including grant writing, publishing, and professional networking
- A collaborative, inclusive research community committed to reducing the burden of substance use
Eligibility:
- US citizens or permanent residents
- Interested in a PhD in Epidemiology, or early-stage postdoctoral fellows
- Demonstrated interest in substance use, addiction, or public health research
Location: Gainesville, Florida — a dynamic hub for scientific innovation with high quality of life and low cost of living.
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UPCOMING WEBINARS & EVENTS
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ADAI Webinar: Behind the Design of a 24/7 Post-Overdose and MOUD Initiation Center (the ORCA Center)
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📅 Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2026
🕑 Time: 12 pm - 1 pm PT
📍 Location: Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront
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4th Annual Florida Harm Reduction Conference
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📅 Date: Monday, January 26, 2026 to Thursday, January 29, 2026
🕑 Time: Starts at 6 pm ET
📍 Location: Hilton Bayfront St. Petersburg, FL
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📅 Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026
🕑 Time: 1 pm - 5 pm PT
📍 Location: Oregon Convention Center & Hyatt Regency Portland
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The NDEWS Weekly Briefing curates emerging data and findings from across the Early Warning Network, which includes three core components: our Scientific Advisory Group (SAG), comprised of national experts and federal partners; our Sentinel Site Directors (SSDs), who lead local surveillance in key geographic regions; and our Community-Based Health Experts, who provide on-the-ground insights from populations most impacted by drug trends. Together, these contributors generate timely, multidisciplinary and impactful information, ranging from peer-reviewed research findings to local surveillance data. These contributions inform public health and research communities.
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You can share the NDEWS Weekly Briefing with friends, colleagues, and others who would benefit from information on recent and relevant news, articles, and data related to novel drug trends in the US and globally by clicking here. |
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Get in Touch with NDEWS
Share your research, news, and events through our submission form.Share your comments on our newsletter through our feedback form.For more information on NDEWS' efforts, visit our website.Follow NDEWS on Twitter/X: @NDEWSnewsIf you miss or want to learn more about NDEWS Original Content, you can find our archived content on the NDEWS website: |
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The Weekly Briefing is a newsletter published each week by the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) Coordinating Center, which is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (U01DA051126) to the University of Florida (MPI: Cottler (contact), Co-Is: Goldberger, Nixon, Striley), NYU Langone Health (MPI: Palamar), and Florida Atlantic University (Co-I: Barenholtz). Any item may be reproduced provided the source is acknowledged.
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