Blending research and practice: NIDA and SAMHSA team up.(National Institute on Drug Abuse)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

The 800-plus attendees at the federal government's "blending" conference in Seattle last week heard about the latest innovations funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and proven as evidence-based practices. These are then being promoted to the treatment field to put into practice by "blending teams" from NIDA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). While NIDA is responsible for conducting the research, SAMHSA is responsible for providing the training to the field--a process that has taken too long in the past.

"It can take nearly two decades between the publication of research results and their implementation into clinical …