This week, the NDEWS Weekly Briefing focuses on the NDEWS Early Warning Network, including the June 2026 Sentinel Site Directors' (SSD) report, which highlights local trends with ketamine and NPS ketamine analogs. The NDEWS Sentinel Site Network is now 16 sites strong with the additions of Stephen Dudley (Arizona) and Agnes Winokur (Baltimore & DC).

This briefing also features NDEWS informal networks reports from the K-12 School Affiliate Network and Community Overdose Response Network. The K-12 School Affiliate Network report gives an overview of the characteristics of the network.

As always, we welcome your input.

Our Sentinel Site Directors were recently asked about local trends involving ketamine and NPS ketamine analogs. Site directors reported that trends remained consistent across certain sentinel sites, while other sites reported low or unchanged levels of use and availability. Site directors also noted ketamine's presence in polysubstance drug markets, particularly in combination with fentanyl, heroin, MDMA and other substances.

Click here to read the full report.

Click here to learn more about the NDEWS Sentinel Sites

The NDEWS Spring 2026 Community Overdose Response Network Report highlights recent shifts across the US drug supply over the past six months. Respondents identified ongoing concerns about polysubstance use, particularly combinations involving fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, alcohol, and benzodiazepines, which can increase overdose risk. Communities also noted shifts in drug-use patterns, emerging substances, and challenges related to overdose prevention. Of note, nearly 97% of respondents reported distributing naloxone.

Read the full report here.

The NDEWS Spring 2026 K-12 Education Affiliates Network Report indicates characteristics of the network. Additionally, it  includes information on the level of experience educators have in being able to recognize and respond to potential drug overdoses. The network also gives insight into what drugs are being used by students on school grounds, at school-sponsored events or outside of school.

Read the full report 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!

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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.

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.