NIDA‐funded program focuses on cultural strengths of Native Americans

Last week, Nora Volkow, M.D., director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), wrote about the scientific research behind the entwined crises of pain and drug addiction affecting Native Americans. This population experiences disproportionately high rates of drug and alcohol addiction, drug overdose, chronic pain and co‐occurring behavioral health conditions, Volkow wrote in her blog on November 9. Many factors drive these challenges, including limited access to culturally appropriate prevention and treatment services and disruption of traditional family and community structures, Volkow wrote.