Clinical Specialist UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs Los Angeles, California
Session Description: This session will provide participants with an overview of current trends related to new and emerging synthetic drugs. The purpose of this educational training presentation is to provide clinicians from a variety of work and educational backgrounds with a detailed overview of synthetic drugs, including differences between synthetic cannabis, opioids, and cathinones. In addition, this presentation will provide a review of trends and treatment recommendations for synthetics substances more commonly encountered in treatment settings. The presentation defines key terms, describes the main classes of synthetic drugs commonly available, presents available data on the extent of use, provides information on identifying and assessing individuals who are using synthetic drugs, and concludes with some clinical implications of synthetic drug use.
Learning Objectives:
After this activity participants should be able to
Describe at least two examples of synthetic cannabinoids, opioids, and stimulants.
Discuss two ways new or novel synthetic substances complicate assessment and treatment in SUD care.
List at least one resource to obtain up-to-date information on novel synthetic substance trends.
