The NDEWS Weekly Briefing focuses on the NDEWS Early Warning Network, including the March 2026 Sentinel Site Directors' (SSD) report, which highlights changes in drug supply, overdoses, and other substance use trends observed during the first quarter of this year.

This briefing also features three publications from members of our Early Warning Network, including: fentanyl use leading to nonfatal overdose among people who use drugs in the San Diego area; the prevalence of N,N-Dimethylpentylone (DMP) in Florida, and a surge in synthetic opioid overdoses found in Ohio jails and correctional facilities.

Interested in learning more about NDEWS? Join us for our annual summit. The agenda will feature updates from the NDEWS Coordinating Center and Early Warning Network, as well as presentations highlighting our latest publications and data. The program will also include dedicated time for an open-floor discussion with attendees to explore new partnership ideas, propose research questions, and explore innovative approaches for data integration.

The NDEWS 5th Annual Summit will be held as a hybrid event on Saturday, June 13 from 2:00–6:00 PM PT. Join us in person at the Oregon Convention Center or virtually via Zoom. Regardless of how you choose to attend the Summit, we look forward to your participation.

Each year, the NDEWS Summit is held in conjunction with the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) Annual Scientific Meeting. Following the Summit, members of the NDEWS Coordinating Center will present symposia and posters showcasing recent findings at CPDD’s 88th Annual Meeting. While registration for the CPDD conference is not required to attend the NDEWS Summit, we encourage you to register and join us for these additional presentations.

As always, we welcome your input.

Our Sentinel Site Directors were recently asked about trends observed in the first quarter of 2026. This report builds on the January 2026 SSD report, which summarized 2025 trends, featured in Issue 268 of the NDEWS Weekly Briefing, and highlights the ongoing efforts of the NDEWS Early Warning Network to monitor emerging drug trends. Consistent with the earlier report, many site directors noted changes in overdose rates and shifts in the local drug supply. Click here to see the overview in more detail.

NDEWS would like to thank Dr. Tyler Coyle for serving as the Denver, Colorado Sentinel Site Director and recommending Alexandra Tillman, MS, as his replacement for the role. Alexandra is the Epidemiology & Evaluation Manager for the Center for Addiction Medicine at Denver Health.

Click here to read more about NDEWS Sentinel Site Reports.

A recently published study in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, co-authored by NDEWS Sentinel Site Director Annick Bórquez, sought to estimate the contributions of fentanyl to non-fatal overdose among people who inject drugs (PWID) in San Diego, CA. The study included 204 participants from October 2020 to May 2024, and the authors reported that significant associations between fentanyl use and non-fatal overdose risk were observed at Visits 1 and 5. The authors concluded that the contribution of fentanyl to non-fatal overdoses varied over time in the cohort. Click here to read the full study.

A recently published study in Forensic Science International, co-authored by NDEWS Co-Investigator and Sentinel Site Director Bruce Goldberger, assessed the prevalence of N,N-Dimethylpentylone (DMP) in Florida and characterized its pharmacologic and toxicologic effects observed in authentic cases. From late 2021 through 2024, 844 cases from four forensic toxicology laboratories in Florida were positive for DMP. The authors reported that, at the beginning of 2021 Q4, there was a steady increase in DMP identifications, which peaked in 2023 Q3. However, a decline in DMP identifications was observed in 2024 Q1. Click here to read the full study.

A recently published alert by The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education, co-authored by NDEWS Scientific Advisory Group member Alex Krotulski, reported on 45 death cases that occurred inside correctional facilities. Samples were collected between August 2023 and March 2025, and the primary metabolite and degradation product of 5F-ADB were detected in 80% of cases, followed by 31% containing the metabolite of MDMB-4en-PINACA and 17% positive for both synthetic cannabinoids. The majority of case histories described “individuals found down in cell.” Click here to read the full alert.

Additional Materials:
- Smuggled: Inside Ohio's Deadly Prison Drug Trade
- The Marshall Project - Drugs in Ohio Prisons

The CDC’s Division of Overdose Prevention recently launched the Clinical Drug Test Dashboard. This interactive tool provides timely national and regional insights on fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine based on clinical urine drug test data spanning from October 2023 to December 2025, representing over 650,000 specimens. Data will be updated on a quarterly basis. By offering earlier signals on changes in drug use and co-use, this dashboard can help public health agencies and medical and community partners to better target and tailor prevention, treatment and response efforts. View the dashboard here.

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.

Dear friends of NDEWS,

Have you ever been to a College on Problems of Drug Dependence meeting? If not, you are missing an opportunity to learn about drugs from the bench to the community. Many of us have made lifelong friends by attending the annual meeting. This year, the conference will be held on 13 - 17, 2026 in delightful Portland, Oregon! If you have never been before and want to learn more about the meeting and organization, click here.

Register for CPDD’s 88th Annual Meeting here.

We’d also love to see you at the Annual NDEWS Summit, which will be held as a hybrid event on Saturday, June 13 from 2:00–6:00 PM PT. While it is held in conjunction with CPDD, registration for the CPDD conference is not required to attend the NDEWS Summit. Register for NDEWS Summit here.

We hope to see you there!

The NDEWS team

📅 Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026

🕑 Time: 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm PT

📍 Location: In person at the Oregon Convention Center & Hyatt Regency Portland or virtually via Zoom.

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.

Share your research, news, and events through our submission form.

Share information on drug trends in your community through our get involved form.
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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.