## “Unprecedented” decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

Authored by arstechnica.com

Teen drug use continued to fall in 2024, extending a dramatic decline spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic that experts expected would reverse now that the acute phase of the global crisis is well over.

Use of illicit drugs also fell on the whole and use of non-heroin narcotics (Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet) hit an all-time low.

"Many experts in the field had anticipated that drug use would resurge as the pandemic receded and social distancing restrictions were lifted," Richard Miech, team lead of the Monitoring the Future survey at the University of Michigan, said in a statement.

"As it turns out, the declines have not only lasted but have dropped further.".

This year, the survey collected data from over 24,000 students at more than 270 public and private schools.

The initial drop in drug use between 2020 and 2021 was among the largest ever recorded.

But now, the data suggests the pandemic has started a wave of abstention that is still rippling through grade levels. »

### Ukraine strikes 'only oil refinery operating' in Russia's Rostov Oblast, military says

Authored by kyivindependent.com

The Novoshakhtinsk facility is "the only oil refinery operating" in the region, the General Staff said.

0:00 / 1× Footage that purports to show the aftermath of a Ukrainian strike against the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery, Rostov Oblast, Russia, overnight on Dec. 19, 2024.

Ukraine has previously targeted the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery with drone strikes. »

### Musk Kills Government Funding Deal, Demands Shutdown Until Trump Is Sworn In

Authored by rollingstone.com

Elon Musk, self-described “First Buddy” of President-elect Donald Trump, went all out to thwart a last-minute funding deal to avert a government shutdown.

Trump himself opposes the resolution, according to a joint statement shared Wednesday by Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.

Should Johnson fail to get a spending plan passed by Dec. 20, the federal government will enter a partial shutdown ahead of the holidays. »

### Doctors remove live cockroach from the intestine of man complaining of abdominal issues

Authored by nationalpost.com

Doctors remove live cockroach from the intestine of man complaining of abdominal issues 'Even we were surprised as to how the cockroach managed to stay intact' Photo by anatchant / Getty Images/iStockphoto.

Article content Plagued by a stomach bug for a few days, an Indian man and the doctors treating him were surprised to discover the source of his malaise: a three-centimetre cockroach alive and wriggling in his small intestine.

National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. »

### New details emerge on Israel’s actions in Syrian buffer zone, change in US position

Authored by voanews.com

New details have emerged of Israel’s occupation of a Golan Heights buffer zone since Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad fell from power this month.

The area is home to 11 Syrian towns and villages, with tens of thousands of residents.

Since 1974, UNDOF has monitored Syrian and Israeli ceasefire compliance from around 50 positions inside the zone and just outside it. »

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