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National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) Funded to the University of Florida by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
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Publications Overview

Peer-Reviewed Publications

NDEWS 2024 Publication Highlights – read more here

NDEWS-2024-Publications

2025

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

An analysis of the size of law enforcement seizures of illicit fentanyl in the United States, 2018-2023

  • 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

Nonfatal pediatric fentanyl exposures reported to US poison centers 2015–2023

  • 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

2024

  • McCabe AJ, Won NY, Parker E, Cottler LB. The preponderance of opioid overdoses among early middle-aged individuals in the US: An analysis of 911 dispatch data from Q1 2018 to Q3 2023. Am J Emerg Med. 2024 Dec;86:94-97. Epub ahead of print 2024 Sep 28. PMID: 39393149. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2024.09.057

The preponderance of opioid overdoses among middle aged individuals in the US_ Analysis of 911 dispatch data

  • Won NY, Gurka KK, Cottler LB. Five-year trend analysis of drug use among individuals 16 years of age and older injured in non-fatal motor vehicle crashes in the US. Traffic Inj Prev. 2024 Oct 17:1-8. PMID: 39417749. DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2024.2405038
    • Figure 2. Trend in mean prevalence of drug use among individuals (age 16+) injured non-fatal motor vehicle crashes (MVCs): 2019–2023

Figure 2. Trend in mean prevalence of drug use among individuals (age 16+) injured non-fatal motor vehicle crashes (MVCs): 2019–2023.

  • Palamar JJ, Fitzgerald ND, Goldberger BA, Cottler LB. Monitoring illicit pentobarbital availability in the United States: A National Drug Early Warning System briefing. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2024 Oct 1:263:112402. Epub ahead of print Aug 13. PMID: 39173219. PMCID: PMC11384643 (available on 2025-10-01). DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.112402

Monitoring illicit pentobarbital availability in the United States_ A National Drug Early Warning System briefing

  • Palamar JJ, Rutherford C, Keyes KM. Diversion of Undistributed Pharmaceutical Ketamine in the US. JAMA. 2024 Dec 5 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2024.23014

Diversion of Undistributed Pharmaceutical Ketamine in the US

  • Ballotari, M., Truver, M. T., Dhoble, L. R., Kinsey, A. M., Hoyer, J. L., Chronister, C. W., & Goldberger, B. A. (2024). A postmortem case report involving fentanyl, desalkylgidazepam, and bromazolam. Journal of analytical toxicology, 48(8), 636–640. DOI: 10.1093/jat/bkae059
    • Figure 1. Comparison of the benzodiazepine structures: bromazolam (a), alprazolam (b), desalkylgidazepam (c), and nordiazepam (d).

Figure 1. Comparison of the benzodiazepine structures: bromazolam (a), alprazolam (b), desalkylgidazepam (c), and nordiazepam (d).

  • Palamar JJ, Krotulski AJ. Medetomidine Infiltrates the US Illicit Opioid Market. JAMA. Published online September 04, 2024. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2024.15992
    • Figure:  States in Which Medetomidine Has Been Detected in Drug Products and in Biospecimens of People Who Use Drugs, January 2021-July 2024Figure. States in Which Medetomidine Has Been Detected in Drug Products and in Biospecimens of People Who Use Drugs, January 2021-July 2024
  • Bruzelius, E., Palamar, J. J., Fitzgerald, N. D., Cottler, L. B., Carr, T. C., & Martins, S. S. (2024). Law enforcement fentanyl seizures and overdose mortality in US counties, 2013-2020. Drug and alcohol dependence, 262, 111400. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111400
    • Law enforcement fentanyl seizures and overdose mortality in US counties, 2013–2020
  • Palamar JJ, Fitzgerald ND, Carr T, Cottler LB, Ciccarone D. National and regional trends in fentanyl seizures in the United States, 2017–2023. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104417
    • Number of Pills Containing Fentanyl Seized by Law Enforcement in the United States, 2017-2023: Number of Pills Containing Fentanyl Seized by Law Enforcement in the United States, 2017-2023
  • Won NY, Jabot B, Wang A, Palamar JJ, Cottler LB. Willingness to provide a hair sample for drug testing: results from an anonymous multi-city intercept survey. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 2024. DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2024.2309654.
  • Fitzgerald ND, Cottler LB, Palamar JJ. Public health surveillance of new psychoactive substances: Recent developments. Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 2024. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000938.
    • Public health surveillance of new psychoactive substances: recent developments
  • Palamar JJ. Illicitly Manufactured Fentanyl Use Among Individuals in the U.S., 2022. American Journal of Preventative Medicine 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2024.03.014.
  • Won NY, McCabe AJ, Cottler LB. Alcohol-related non-fatal motor vehicle crash injury in the US from 2019 to 2022. American Journal Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2024. DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2024.2309336.
  • Palamar JJ, Fitzgerald ND, Carr T, Cottler LB, Ciccarone D. Number of pills containing fentanyl seized by law enforcement in the United States, 2017–2023. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104417
  • Truver, MT, Brogan, SC, Jaeschke, EA, Kinsey, AM, Hoyer, JL, Chronister, CW, Crosby, MM, & Goldberger, BA (2024). A quantitative LC-MS/MS analysis of Xylazine, p-Fluorofentanyl, Fentanyl and Fentanyl-Related compounds in postmortem blood. Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences, 1237, 124059. DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2024.124059
  • Fitzgerald ND, Palamar JJ. Increases in the use of drug testing kits among nightclub and festival attendees in New York City who use ecstasy, 2017-2022. Drug and Alcohol Review. 2024. DOI: 10.1111/dar.13829
  • Palamar, J. J., Fitzgerald, N. D., Carr, T. H., Rutherford, C., Keyes, K. M., & Cottler, L. B. (2024). National and regional trends in seizures of shrooms (psilocybin) in the United States, 2017-2022. Drug and alcohol dependence, 258, 111086. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111086
    • Number of Law enforcement seizures of psilocybin mushrooms rose dramatically between 2017-2022: Law enforcement seizures of psilocybin mushrooms rose dramatically between 2017-2022 NIH-supported research highlights need to better understand psilocybin in context of growing psychedelic use
  • Wilkinson, S. T., Palamar, J. J., & Sanacora, G. (2024). The Rapidly Shifting Ketamine Landscape in the US. JAMA psychiatry, 81(3), 221–222. DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.4945
  • Palamar, J. J., Massano, M., & Salomone, A. (2024). Five cases of unintentional exposure to BZO-4en-POXIZID among nightclub attendees in New York City. Journal of analytical toxicology, 48(1), 75–80. DOI: 10.1093/jat/bkad086
    • Figure 1. HRMS fragmentation pattern of BZO-4en-POXIZID detected in the samples. HRMS fragmentation pattern of BZO-4en-POXIZID detected in the samples.

2023

  • McCabe AJ, Fitzgerald N, Striley C, Cottler L. E-cigarette Use Among Community-Recruited Adults with a History of Asthma in North Central Florida. Journal of Community Health. 2023. doi: 10.1007/s10900-023-01256-y.
  • Palamar JJ, Goldberger BA. Surveillance of Xylazine Use and Poisonings Is Needed-Without Blind Spots. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2023. doi: 10.7326/M23-2299
  • Palamar JJ, Wilkinson ST, Carr T, Rutherford C, Cottler LB. Trends in Illicit Ketamine Seizures in the US From 2017 to 2022. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.1423
  • Han BH, Jewell JS, Ding BK, Wu NC, Cottler LB, Palamar JJ. Trends in characteristics of prescription opioid-related poisonings among older adults in the United States, 2015-2021. 2023. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000001193
  • Won NY, Palamar JJ, Mike SA, Fitzgerald ND, Cottler LB. A qualitative analysis of emergency medical services personnel experiences and perception responding to drug overdoses in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Health Research. 2023. doi: 10.56808/2586-940X.1045
  • Salomone A, Galletto M, Massano M, Di Corcia D, Palamar JJ, Vincenti M. Detection of fentanyl, synthetic opioids, and ketamine in hair specimens from purposive samples of American and Italian populations. Journal of Forensic Science. 2023. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15348

2022

  • Palamar JJ, Ciccarone D, Rutherford C, Keyes KM, Carr T, Cottler LB. Trends in seizures of powders and pills containing illicit fentanyl in the United States, 2018 through 2021. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2022. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109398
  • Palamar JJ, Cottler LB, Goldberger BA, Severtson SG, Grundy DJ, Iwanicki JL, Ciccarone D. Trends in characteristics of fentanyl-related poisonings in the United States, 2015–2021. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 2022.doi: 10.1080/00952990.2022.2081923
  • Hoeflich HC, Wang A, Otufowora A, Cottler LB, Striley CW. Virtual recruitment and participant engagement for substance use research during a pandemic. Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 2022. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000794
  • Palamar JJ, Fitzgerald ND, Grundy DJ, Black JC, Jewell JS, Cottler LB. Characteristics of poisonings involving ketamine in the United State, 2019-2021. J Psychopharmacol. 2022 Dec 7. DOI: 10.1177/02698811221140006.

2021

  • Fitzgerald ND, Barenholtz E. Commentary on Lin et al.; The importance of valid reference standards in training supervised machine learning classifiers to detect alcohol misuse. Addiction. 2021. doi: 10.1111/add.15784
  • Barenholtz E, Krotulski AJ, Morris P, Fitzgerald ND, Le A, Papsun DM, Logan BK, Hahn WE, Goldberger BA, Cottler LB, Palamar JJ. Online surveillance of novel psychoactive substances (NPS): Monitoring Reddit discussions as a predictor of increased NPS-related exposures. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103393
  • Palamar JJ, Le A, Carr TH, Cottler LB. Shifts in drug seizures in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108580
  • Palamar JJ. Moving away from piecemeal trends: The need for multiple data sources in drug use trend analyses. Drug and Alcohol Review. 2021. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13263
  • Palamar JJ, Rutherford C, Keyes KM. Trends in ketamine use, exposures, and seizures in the United States up to 2019. American Journal of Public Health. 2021. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306486
  • Striley CW, Hoeflich CC. Converging public health crises: Substance use during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Current Opinion in Psychiatry 2021. doi:10.1097/YCO.0000000000000722
  • Palamar JJ, Fitzgerald ND, Keyes KM, Cottler LB. Drug checking at dance festivals: a review with recommendations to increase generalizability of findings. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. 2021. doi: 10.1037/pha0000452
  • Palamar JJ, Fitzgerald ND, Cottler LB. Shifting awareness among electronic dance music party attendees that drugs may contain fentanyl or other adulterants. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103353
  • Fitzgerald ND, Striley CW, Palamar JJ, Copeland J, Kurtz S, Cottler LB. Test-retest reliability and cross-cultural applicability of DSM-5 adopted diagnostic criteria for ketamine use disorders. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109056
  • Cottler LB, Lasopa SO, Striley CW, Cicero TJ, Fitzgerald ND, Abdallah AB. Prescription stimulant brand name recoginition among a national sample of 10- to 18-year old youth. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research. 2021. doi: 10.1002/mpr.1884
  • Yu W, Cottler LB, Li J. New psychoactive substances in Taiwan: the current situation and initiative for rational scheduling. Food and Drug Analysis. 2021. doi: 10.38212/2224-6614.3225

2020

  • Cottler LB, Goldberger BA, Nixon SJ, Striley CW, Barenholtz E, Fitzgerald ND, Taylor SM, Palamar JJ. Introducing NIDA’s new National Drug Early Warning System. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 2020; 217:108286. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108286

Last modified: 01/27/2025

NDEWS is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to the University of Florida (MPI: Cottler (contact), Co-Is: Goldberger, Nixon, Striley), New York University (MPI: Palamar), and Florida Atlantic University (Co-I: Barenholtz).