Problem

White populations have higher rates of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) than Black, Asian, and Hispanic populations. This includes addictions to tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs. However, cultural and ethnic minorities are at higher risk for facing economic and cultural barriers in the diagnosis and treatment of substance use disorders. For example, 88.7% of Black Americans with substance abuse disorders do not seek or receive addiction treatment. Substance abuse is also critically tied to mental health — in 2014, 20.2 million adults in the U.S. had a substance use disorder and 7.9 million had both a substance use disorder and another mental illness. Furthermore, alcohol use disorder for Native Americans is 7.1%, which is disproportionately high compared to the 5.4% proportion of the general population.

Key Terms

[Substance Use Disorder (SUD):](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/drug-addiction/symptoms-causes/syc-20365112#:~:text=Drug addiction%2C also called substance,nicotine also are considered drugs.) Also Drug addiction, is a disease that affects a person's brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medication. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine also are considered drugs.
Opioids: Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription
MDMA: Synthetic drug that acts as a stimulant and hallucinogen.15–17 It produces an energizing effect, distortions in time and perception, and enhanced enjoyment from sensory experiences.

Solutions

1. Remote Monitoring Systems

Tobacco is the most common subtype of SUD. Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death and of the 34M smokers in the US, 20M want to quit.

Existing Start-ups

Remote monitoring can track smoking cessation and deliver incentives for target behavior. Vincere Health and Pivot track cessation through a small hand-held device you blow into and incentivize users through rewards such as money and coaching.
Quit Genius is an employer-provided addiction intervention service for employees.

What needs to be done?

<aside> 🚬 Identifying and reducing triggers: Deep learning can predict environmental triggers to smoking, such as a park bench. This approach may lead to development of therapies that trigger “just-in-time adaptive cessation interventions” and help a smoker optimize their environment for smoking reduction.

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2. Digital Therapeutics Development

Rapid, novel drug treatment for addiction can help curb the effects of dependency and withdrawal.

Existing Solutions

Ibogaine, a neurochemical reset for opioid addiction, “gives patients a window during which they have no cravings or desire to use opioids and so have a better chance at recovery.”