Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
11% Of High School Seniors Say They've Used Delta-8 THC
NBC News: Over 1 In 10 High School Seniors Report Using Delta-8 THC
More than 11% of high school seniors report using delta-8 THC — a compound closely related to the psychoactive chemical in marijuana that’s legal in many states thanks to a loophole in the 2018 farm bill — according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, led by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, is one of the first to offer a nationwide snapshot of teenage use of delta-8, a little-researched cannabis product with psychoactive effects that has grown in popularity in recent years. (Syal, 3/12)
In other health and wellness news —
ABC News: New Mexico Man Dies Of Plague: Health Officials
A New Mexico man has died from plague in the state's first human fatality since 2020, according to health officials. The man lived in Lincoln County -- located in the southeastern part of the state -- and was hospitalized from the disease before dying, the New Mexico Department of Health said in a press release last week. Plague is treatable with commonly available antibiotics and the odds of full recovery are higher if a patient seeks medical care early, according to the CDC. (Kekatos, 3/12)
NBC News: Man Finds Out Migraines Caused By Brain Tapeworms; Undercooked Bacon May Be Culprit
A man was hospitalized with worsening migraines only to find out they were caused by parasitic tapeworm larvae in his brain — and researchers believe he was infected by eating undercooked bacon. The unidentified 52-year-old American man consulted doctors about changes in his usual migraines over four months, according to a study in the American Journal of Case Reports published Thursday. The migraines became more frequent, severe and unresponsive to medication. (Itoh, 3/12)
Stat: UCLA Team Creates Talking Throat Patch For Voice Disorders
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have built a soft, adhesive patch capable of turning throat movements into speech. The patch, written about in a paper published in Nature Communications on Tuesday, is made out of a material that converts motion into electricity. This material, developed by the UCLA team in 2021, could be a game-changer for sensors and wearables limited by their power sources. (Lawrence, 3/12)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Some providers are saving penicillin for pregnant patients amid a shortage of the drug, which is used to treat syphilis, and why bigger hearing aids might be better. (3/12)
