Evidence Watch

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Substance Use Disorders: What a Kenyan Hospital Study Shows

Adverse childhood experiences and substance use disorders are examined in this cross-sectional study of adults receiving inpatient treatment at a psychiatric referral hospital in Kenya. The paper shows that ACE exposure was extremely common and that certain childhood adversities were associated with higher odds of current tobacco, cannabis, and sedative use. Adverse childhood experiences and substance use disorders clearly belong in the same clinical conversation, but this study does not prove that childhood trauma directly caused later substance use.

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Evidence Watch

CBD use among older adults: A study

CBD use among older adults is becoming common enough that clinicians, caregivers, and patients need a more careful evidence-based conversation. This national survey shows that CBD use among older adults often overlaps with cannabis use and clusters with certain health and substance-use patterns, but it does not prove why people are using CBD or whether CBD is helping them. For clinicians and lay readers alike, the real value of this paper is not hype, but a clearer view of prevalence, correlation, and the questions that still need answering.

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