The substance use landscape regularly experiences changes in the demand and supply of substances, the relative importance of various risk and protective factors, and the impacts of the social determinants of health. Prevention professionals should be able to identify and understand these changes so that they can adjust service delivery as needed. Relative changes in substance use patterns, or the causes behind use, can lead to a re-prioritization of key prevention activities. However, prevention professionals must balance these potential re- prioritizations with ensuring that they continue to address core, underlying prevention needs. This three-part webinar series will provide an overview of emerging drug trends in the United States, with a focus on the Central East region, explain what is known about the causes behind these trends, and discuss potential implications for the prevention field. It will also discuss how prevention professionals can incorporate addressing emerging trends into their existing workflow.
This webinar will examine data on four primary emerging substance use trends in the Central East region and around the United States: Xylazine, Nitazenes, Tianeptine, and Hallucinogens. This presentation provides information on what these substances are, their health impacts, and available data on use and consequences. It will also discuss opportunities and strategies for prevention professionals to learn more about the scope of these and other emerging trends in their communities. The webinar will identify potential data sources and techniques for collecting primary data. Additionally, the webinar will summarize harm reduction strategies that may be helpful in addressing these emerging substances of concern. Lastly, the presentation will identify opportunities to improve the public health response to substance use trends.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to: