Sept. 20 - R!L Keynote Address & Awards Ceremony

Nora D. Volkow, MD, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse

The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and fentanyl and other synthetic opioids—has resulted in an unprecedented national crisis of overdose deaths that we have not been able to control. The parallel resurgence in stimulant use--including cocaine and methamphetamine—has further contributed to the rise in overdose fatalities diversifying those at risk for overdoses as illicit stimulants are increasingly contaminated with fentanyl.  The overdose crisis further was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of the structural changes that it entailed including closure of community support systems, the stressors associated with it that led many to relapse and the expanded penetration of fentanyl into the illicit drugs markets. During the first 2 years of the pandemic overdose rates increased by 45% intensifying the urgency of the problem and forcing innovative intervention by states and local communities to control fatalities.

This presentation will highlight the implications that this has regarding the treatment of overdoses including use of fentanyl alone or in combination with other opioids, stimulants or contaminants such as xylazine and its implications to prevention of drug use and overdoses across the lifespan, including among vulnerable groups such as Native Americans and Black Americans who have the highest overdose rates.  It will also discuss basic research being done to understand neurobiological components of risk and resilience to addiction and therapeutic research on the development of novel medications/immunotherapies and neuromodulation strategies to help treat opioid use disorders.