Drug Abuse Research Reports
Research reports created by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a division of the National Institute of Health. Click on the titles to open the article. Many of these are also available in Spanish and can be downloaded as a PDF
Research Reports: Cocaine
Published May 1999. Revised May 2016.
Describes the latest research findings on cocaine, exploring the scope of abuse in the U.S., its potential long- and short-term health effects, maternal cocaine use, and treatment approaches.
Research Reports: Common Physical and Mental Health Comorbidities with Substance Use Disorders
Published December 2008. Revised February 2018.
Introduces a report that focuses on the topic of of common physical and mental health comorbidities with substance use disorders, a research priority for NIDA.
Research Reports: Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs
Published March 2001. Revised February 2015.
Offers the latest research findings on hallucinogens and dissociative drugs, describing what they are, how they are abused, and basic facts about different drugs within this classification of drugs.
Research Reports: Heroin
Published October 1997. Revised January 2018.
Offers the latest scientific information on heroin use and its consequences as well as treatment options available for those struggling with heroin addiction.
Research Reports: HIV/AIDS
Published March 2006. Revised July 2012.
Explores the link between drug abuse and HIV/AIDS and discusses treatment options, populations most at risk, trends in HIV/AIDS, and ways to counter these trends.
Research Reports: Inhalants
Published May 1999. Revised July 2012.
Provides scientific research on the nature and extent of inhalant abuse, its potential health consequences, and hazards of chemicals found in commonly abused inhalants.
Research Reports: Marijuana
Published October 2002. Revised February 2018.
Explores the latest research on marijuana, including the scope of marijuana use in the U.S., health consequences, its effects on everyday activities, and available treatments.
Research Reports: MDMA (Ecstasy) Abuse
Published March 2006. Revised September 2017.
Describes the science behind MDMA (ecstasy) abuse, including what it does to the brain, whether it is addictive, and the latest research regarding prevention and treatment of MDMA.
Research Reports: Medications to Treat Opioid Addiction
Published May 2017. Revised January 2018.
Discusses effective medications used to treat opioid use disorders: methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.
Research Reports: Methamphetamine
Published April 1998. Revised September 2013.
Provides an overview of the latest scientific findings on methamphetamine, including short- and long-term health consequences, effects on pregnancy, and potential prevention and treatment options.
Research Reports: Misuse of Prescription Drugs
Published July 2001. Revised January 2018.
Offers the latest research findings on prescription drug misuse, including the classes of prescription drugs that are most commonly misused, possible effects on the brain and body, and treatment options for prescription drug addiction.
Research Reports: Prescription Opioids and Heroin
Published October 2015. Revised January 2018.
Explores the relationship between prescription opioid abuse and heroin use, including prescription opioid use as a risk factor for heroin use, reasons why people progress from using prescription opioids to heroin, and the need for prevention and treatment.
Research Reports: Steroids and Other Appearance and Performance Enhancing Drugs (APEDs)
Published July 2001. Revised February 2018.
Explores the latest research on steroids and other appearance and performance enhancing drugs (APEDs), including why people misuse APEDs, effects they can have on physical and behavioral health, prevention research, and effective treatment approaches.
Research Reports: Substance Use in Women
Published July 2015. Revised September 2016.
Examines women and substance use, including sex and gender differences in use, how substance use affects a mother and her baby, and sex and gender differences in drug addiction treatment.
Research Reports: Therapeutic Communities
Revised July 2015.
Describes a type of long-term residential treatment for substance use disorders called therapeutic communities, including how they treat populations with special needs and how they can be incorporated into the criminal justice system.
Research Reports: Tobacco, Nicotine, and E-Cigarettes
Published July 1998. Revised January 2018.
Discusses the harmful effects of tobacco use, risks associated with pregnancy and adolescents, as well as best practices for the prevention and treatment of tobacco addiction.
