We Hope You Had a Great Thanksgiving!

This week’s NDEWS Weekly Briefing focuses on being thankful. As we gather to reflect on what we are grateful for this Thanksgiving, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to you, our subscribers. Your engagement and support are invaluable to our mission of providing timely and accurate information on emerging drug trends.

We are also highlighting some essential resources from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA offers a wealth of information and support for individuals and communities affected by substance use and mental health issues. From treatment locators to educational materials, their resources are designed to help you navigate these challenges with confidence and care.

Thank you for being a part of our community. We look forward to continuing this journey together. Happy Thanksgiving!

Message from SAMHSA: As families gather this season, it’s important to focus on connection and well-being. With students home and celebrations underway, let’s encourage safe habits, especially around substance misuse, like alcohol.

💛 Help yourself and share to help others: SAMHSA Find Support

Additional Resources:
• Learn more about Naloxone/Narcan from NIDA
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
• Holiday stress coping tips
• Find harm reduction resources near you
• Never Use Alone (National Overdose Prevention Lifeline) — available 24-
  hours a day, 7 days a week
• Test strips for drug checking

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.

📅 Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026

🕑 Time: 1 pm - 5 pm PT

📍 Location: Oregon Convention Center & Hyatt Regency Portland

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.

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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For more information on NDEWS' efforts, visit our website.

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If you miss or want to learn more about NDEWS Original Content, you can find our archived content on the NDEWS website:

     • NDEWS Hotspot Alerts using substance-related EMS data
     • NDEWS Rapid Street Reporting (RSR) survey data reports
     • NDEWS Web Monitoring Team Reddit Alerts
     • NDEWS Sentinel Site Reports
     • Previous issues of the NDEWS Weekly Briefings

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.