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Prevention Must Stay Ahead of Trends

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 The substance landscape is changing faster today than at any other time in recent history. New products are being developed, marketed, and distributed at a pace that can make it difficult for parents, educators, healthcare providers, and communities to keep up. A substance that is virtually unknown today can become widely discussed on social media tomorrow and appear on retail shelves shortly afterward. For prevention professionals, this reality presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is obvious. Communities must constantly adapt to new information, emerging substances, changing marketing strategies, and evolving youth culture. The opportunity, however, is equally important. By staying informed and responding proactively, communities can educate families and youth before new trends become widespread locally. That is why prevention must always stay ahead of trends. A Rapidly Changing Drug Environment Only a decade ago, prevention efforts primarily focused on alc...
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Why Youth Prevention Matters More Than Ever

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 Today's young people are growing up in a substance environment unlike anything previous generations have experienced. A few decades ago, prevention conversations focused primarily on alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and a relatively small number of illegal drugs. Parents generally knew what substances their children might encounter, and schools could focus their prevention efforts on a fairly limited list of risks. That is no longer the reality. Today's youth face an increasingly complex and rapidly changing substance landscape. In addition to alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, and prescription medications, they are now exposed to counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, highly concentrated marijuana products, nicotine pouches, flavored vaping devices, concentrated kratom extracts, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), tianeptine, synthetic cannabinoids, hemp-derived intoxicants, and a growing list of other emerging substances. New products are continually introduced, often appearing online or on...
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"Natural" Does Not Always Mean Safe

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 One of the most common misconceptions in today's marketplace is the belief that if a product is labeled natural, herbal, plant based, or botanical, it must also be safe. These words often evoke images of healthy lifestyles, traditional remedies, and products that seem gentler than manufactured chemicals or prescription medications. While many natural products are safe and beneficial when used appropriately, the word natural by itself tells us very little about a product's safety, effectiveness, or potential risks. This misunderstanding has become increasingly important as a growing number of psychoactive products are marketed using terms like all natural , herbal supplement , botanical extract , or plant-derived . Prevention professionals across the country are encouraging consumers to look beyond these marketing claims and make decisions based on evidence rather than advertising. Natural Does Not Mean Harmless Nature produces an incredible variety of substances. Many of the m...
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Tianeptine or Why This Emerging Substance Deserves Attention

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 The landscape of substance use is changing rapidly. While alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, and opioids continue to be major public health concerns, prevention professionals are increasingly monitoring a growing number of emerging substances that many parents have never heard of. One of those substances is tianeptine. Although relatively unknown to the general public, tianeptine has become a growing concern among poison centers, healthcare providers, emergency physicians, and public health officials because of its increasing availability and reports of serious health effects. Understanding what tianeptine is—and why prevention professionals are paying attention—can help families stay informed in today's constantly changing drug environment. What Is Tianeptine? Tianeptine is a synthetic compound that is prescribed as an antidepressant in some countries outside the United States. However, it is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for any medical use in the United...
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Labels Do Not Always Tell the Full Story

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 When most people purchase a product from a store, they assume the label accurately reflects what is inside. Whether it is a bottle of vitamins, an over-the-counter medication, a food product, or a dietary supplement, consumers generally expect the ingredients, strength, and directions for use to match what is printed on the package. For many products, that assumption is reasonable. However, with some emerging substances being sold in smoke shops, vape stores, convenience stores, and online retailers, researchers have found that labels do not always tell the complete story. As the marketplace for products such as concentrated kratom extracts, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), tianeptine, and other novel substances continues to expand, questions about product consistency, labeling accuracy, and manufacturing practices have become an increasing concern for scientists, healthcare providers, and prevention professionals. Understanding these concerns is an important part of protecting consum...
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What Is 7-OH? Understanding One of the Newest Emerging Drug Trends

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 7-hydroxymitragynine is one of the naturally occurring alkaloids found in the leaves of the kratom plant ( Mitragyna speciosa ), a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. In its natural state, however, 7-OH exists only in extremely small amounts within kratom leaves. Traditionally prepared kratom products contain only trace concentrations of this compound. Today's marketplace is very different. Rather than simply selling dried kratom leaves or powdered leaf material, some manufacturers are now producing highly concentrated products that contain greatly increased amounts of 7-OH. These products may be manufactured through extraction, purification, or other processing techniques that produce concentrations far beyond what naturally occurs in the plant. Because of these differences, concentrated 7-OH products should not automatically be viewed as equivalent to traditional kratom leaf. Why Is It Receiving So Much Attention? Over the past several years, researchers have become increasi...
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Kratom Is Changing: Why Today's Products Are Different

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 For many years, conversations about kratom focused on the leaves of a tropical tree ( Mitragyna speciosa ) that grows naturally in Southeast Asia. Traditionally, the leaves have been used in some cultures for centuries, often by chewing fresh leaves or brewing them into tea. Because of this history, many people assume that all kratom products available today are simply dried or powdered leaves with relatively consistent characteristics. The reality is that today's commercial kratom marketplace looks very different. Over the past several years, manufacturers have developed an expanding variety of products that go far beyond traditional kratom leaf. Consumers can now purchase capsules, gummies, concentrated extracts, liquid shots, flavored drink mixes, tablets, powders, and highly concentrated compounds marketed as stronger or more effective than traditional products. As the market has evolved, researchers and public health officials have become increasingly concerned that many cons...
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