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Speedballing – the fatal mixture of stimulants and opioids – calls for a brand new solution to prevention and remedy

Source link : https://bq3anews.com/speedballing-the-fatal-mixture-of-stimulants-and-opioids-calls-for-a-brand-new-solution-to-prevention-and-remedy/

Speedballing – the follow of mixing a stimulant like cocaine or methamphetamine with an opioid akin to heroin or fentanyl – has advanced from a distinct segment subculture to a fashionable public well being disaster. The follow stems from the early 1900s when International Conflict I squaddies had been frequently handled with a mix of cocaine and morphine.

As soon as related to high-profile figures like John Belushi, River Phoenix and Chris Farley , this bad polysubstance use has change into a number one reason for overdose deaths throughout the US for the reason that early- to mid-2010s.

I’m an assistant professor of public well being who has written widely on methamphetamine and opioid use and the harmful mixture of the 2 in the US.

As those bad mixtures of gear more and more flood the marketplace, I see an pressing want and alternative for a brand new solution to prevention and remedy.

Why speedballing?

Relationship again to the Seventies, the time period speedballing initially referred to the combo of heroin and cocaine. Combining stimulants and opioids – the previous’s “rush” with the latter’s calming impact – creates a deadly physiological warfare.

Consistent with the Nationwide Institute on Drug Abuse, stimulant-involved overdose fatalities higher markedly from greater than 12,000 every year in 2015 to bigger than 57,000 in 2022, a 375% build up. Significantly, roughly 70% of stimulant-related overdose deaths in 2022 additionally in touch…

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Author : bq3anews

Publish date : 2025-07-03 16:46:00

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