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People Who Smoke and Use Drugs During COVID-19 Pandemic Face Unique Risks: NIDA

People Who Smoke and Use Drugs During COVID-19 Pandemic Face Unique Risks: NIDA
A sign that states "must be over 21" hangs in the store window of a vape shop in New York City on Dec. 19, 2019. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
4/3/2020|Updated: 4/3/2020

The serious health risks of COVID-19 pose unique challenges to people who smoke or are struggling with substance use disorders (SUD), according to Dr. Nora Volkow, director of National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

“Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is causing untold challenges to health care and wider social structures,” Volkow wrote in an article in the Annals of Internal Medicine, noting that especially vulnerable are people who smoke or vape, use opioids, or have a history of drug abuse.
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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