This week, NDEWS highlights nonfatal fentanyl-specific overdose 911 dispatches in the US between February 1 and July 31, 2024. Between February 1 and July 31, there were 35,236 nonfatal fentanyl-related overdoses reported by EMS personnel. About 25% of the overdoses occurred in the evening, from 3 to 7 p.m. Read more here.

Click here to read more about NDEWS Hotspot Alerts.

What is N-ethylpentedrone? N-ethylpentedrone, also known as NEP is a synthetic psychoactive chemical in the substituted cathinone class. N-ethylpentedrone is the N-ethyl analog of pentedrone.

What was found? Analysis of online discussions indicates that interest in and use of N-ethylpentedrone has been on a consistent upward trend since February.

How is it being discussed? Online discussions describe N-ethylpentedrone as a euphoric stimulant with a short duration of action, typically lasting only a few hours. Reddit users report that snorting is the preferred route of administration due to higher bioavailability compared to oral use. Some undesirable effects mentioned include the multi-day periods of nasal irritation, breathing difficulties, multi-day periods of wakefulness, and extreme hyperfocus, especially when redosing. Some discussants report insomnia and depressive symptoms upon cessation of use. Some conversation talks about mixing N-ethylpentedrone with depressants like benzodiazepines to ease comedowns and reduce compulsive redosing.

Drug Terms: N-ethylpentedrone, NEP, α-EAPP, α-ethylamino-valerophenone, N-ethylnorpentedrone

Please submit any information regarding trends in your area concerning the substances included below here.

Have you observed an increase in recreational MDMA (also known as "Molly" and "Ecstasy") use in your area? Include any information on multi- or polysubstance use that involves use of MDMA.

Tell us what you know about Diamond Shruumz** brand candies (chocolate bars, cones, and gummies) - have you or someone you know experienced adverse effects after consuming these products? What about any adverse effects of other recreational mushroom use in your area? If applicable, tell us more.
**Note that all Diamond Shruumz-brand products were recalled by the FDA in July 2024 - ensure to discard these products if you have them. If you become ill after consuming these products, please contact your healthcare provider and/or call the Poison Help Line at 1-800-222-1222.

NDEWS is interested in what you have heard about recreational use of 7-OH (also known as “7-hydroxymitragynine,” “7HMZ,” or “7(omega)MZ.”) in your area as opinions on kratom and kratom-like products remain diverse.

On August 23, 2024 President Biden issued a proclamation calling to “raise awareness of substance use disorder so that our Nation can combat stigmatization, promote treatment, celebrate recovery, and strengthen our collective efforts to prevent overdose deaths.” Click here to read the President's full proclamation on Overdose Awareness Week, 2024

“During Overdose Awareness Week, we reflect and remember all the lives we have lost to drug overdose. Far too many Americans across the country know the pain of losing a loved one to overdose, and we mourn for their loss,” said  Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

August 31 is recognized as International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), this day serves as the world's largest annual campaign to raise awareness about overdose and reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have died or experienced a permanent injury due to drug overdose.

The theme for IOAD 2024 is “Together We Can" - on this IOAD, the CDC encourages everyone to remind their networks about the importance of overdose awareness and prevention through healing and empowering our communities, together we can save lives and end overdose.

New CDC Report Highlights Link between Overdose and Mental Health

Using data from CDC’s State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS), investigators examined characteristics of people who died of a drug overdose in 2022 and had any reported mental health disorder (MHD) in 44 jurisdictions. The results of this report spotlights that decreasing stigma and other barriers to seeking and receiving care for all MHDs, including substance-use disorders (SUDs), could save lives and improve mental health.

In the analysis, more than 1 in 5 people who died of a drug overdose had a reported MHD, the most frequently reported MHDs were depressive (13%), anxiety (9%), and bipolar (6%) disorders. Approximately one quarter of people who died with an MHD had at least one recent potential opportunity for intervention (e.g., an emergency department visit).

Related Resources 
International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) 2024
Harm Reduction - learn more about how to help people where they are, without judgment, stigma, or discrimination
Learn more about Naloxone/Narcan from NIDA
SAMHSA's Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit
CDC's International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) Toolkit

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This week, a recently published lab-based study in Harm Reduction Journal assessed the performance of the first commercially available nitazene test strips (BTNX Rapid ResponseTM) and found that they can detect most circulating nitazenes, though ‘des’-nitazenes may yield false negatives and trace amounts might be undetectable. Despite these limitations, these test strips can be crucial for overdose prevention by identifying nitazenes in suspicious drug samples. Read the article here.

Earlier this week, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) news release highlighted several significant findings from the Monitoring the Future survey for 2023. Findings indicate that cannabis and hallucinogen use among adults reached historic highs, with approximately 42% of adults aged 19 to 30 reporting past-year cannabis use and 29% reporting past-month use. Hallucinogen use also continued its upward trend, with 9% of this age group using them in the past year. Additionally, vaping remained at unprecedented levels among younger adults, with 25% reporting past-year nicotine vaping and 22% reporting past-year cannabis vaping, both representing all-time high. Read the press release here.

Earlier this week, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced its hearing to discuss the proposed rescheduling of marijuana from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to schedule III.

On May 21, 2024, the Department of Justice published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register initially proposing the rescheduling of marijuana, citing its' currently accepted medical use, which aligns with the view of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The public hearing period that followed resulted in the DEA receiving over 43,500 public comments.

Interested parties must submit their intention to participate in the hearing via email or by mail. “Docket No. DEA-1362” should be referenced on all correspondence. If submitting via email - electronic filing must be received by September 30, 2024 at or before 11:59 PM ET, filing may be done through PDF attachment via email to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Attn: Administrator at nprm@dea.gov. If filing by mail - written notice must be postmarked on or before September 30, 2024 and must be filed with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Attn: Administrator, 8701 Morrissette Drive, Springfield, VA 22152. Read the full requirements to request for hearing or to participate in a hearing here.

According to the published notice, the hearing is scheduled to take place on December 2, 2024, at 9 AM ET at the DEA Hearing Facility in Arlington, Virginia. If the transfer to schedule III is finalized, the regulatory controls applicable to schedule III controlled substances would apply, meaning that the manufacturing, distribution, dispensing, and possession of marijuana would remain subject to the applicable criminal prohibitions of the CSA. Any drugs containing a substance within the CSA's definition of “marijuana” would also remain subject to the applicable prohibition in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). Read the full notice here.

Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Time: 3 p.m. ET

Register here.

Date: Monday, November 11th to Wednesday, November 13th, 2024

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Learn more here. 

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