We curate a digest of the latest news in our field for advocates, policymakers, community coalitions and all who work toward shaping policies and practices to effectively prevent substance use and treat addiction.
The cost of naloxone, the opioid overdose antidote, is rising as demand increases. In Baltimore, the City Health Department was paying about $20 a dose in February. NPR reports the price had risen to almost $40 by July.
Indiana is leading the nation in pharmacy robberies, USA Today reports. The Drug Enforcement Administration says there have been more than 130 such incidents since the beginning of 2015.
The U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously passed two bills aimed at fighting opioid abuse and its harmful effects. One bill would reauthorize federal funding to states for prescription drug monitoring programs, while the other would create uniform standards for diagnosing and treating newborns exposed to opioids.
Fentanyl-laced heroin is worsening the nation’s overdose crisis, officials tell NPR. Some drug dealers are using an illicit version of fentanyl, a potent anesthesia drug, to increase the potency of heroin that has been diluted.
A study that tracks when college students first try drugs and alcohol finds June is the most popular month for initiating marijuana and alcohol use. Winter is the peak season for full-time college students to start using prescription drugs, such as stimulants and pain relievers, in non-medical ways.
Almost 6 percent of college students say they use marijuana daily or almost daily, the highest rate since 1980, a new study finds.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, August 14- Thursday, September 10, 2015.
Until recently, parents looking for strategies on how to support a young person in early recovery had very few credible alternatives. Now a practical translation of a well-established behavioral research finding promises some new options for what a parent could do to support sustained recovery in their child.
The number of children who end up in the emergency room due to accidental medication poisoning is declining, according to a new government study.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will spend $20 million in 16 states to reduce opioid overdoses, UPI reports.
Allowing needles exchanges for people who use intravenous drugs in Washington, D.C. prevented 120 new cases of HIV in two years, a new study concludes.
Injuries occurring in meth labs are on the rise, a new study finds. Common injuries include chemical burns, breathing problems and even deaths, according to HealthDay.
The wait for federally funded rehab is increasing as the number of people addicted to heroin grows, NBC News reports.
More than three-quarters of dentists in the United States ask their patients about illicit drug use, a new survey finds. However, only 54 percent say such drug screening should be their responsibility.
The Food and Drug Administration’s decision last month to approve the opioid painkiller OxyContin for children as young as 11 has been welcomed by some pediatricians and pain specialists, The Washington Post reports. Some critics, however, say the decision could lead to increased abuse of the drug.
E-cigarettes are being used by more people to smoke marijuana or synthetic drugs, CNN reports. People use the devices to get high without police, parents or teachers knowing.
Flakka, the synthetic drug that has hit Florida hard, has been spreading to states including Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio, The Wall Street Journal reports. People using the drug suffer bouts of extreme paranoia.
Marijuana businesses are increasingly using technology to grow, test, sell and deliver their product, according to CBS News.
People who play electronic games professionally will not be allowed to use the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug Adderall unless they have a doctor’s note, the Electronic Sports League said Wednesday.
Chicago’s heroin problem is increasing at a time when Illinois has cut funding for drug treatment, according to a new report.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, August 7- Thursday, August 13, 2015.
In addressing overdoses, clinicians and the public have largely focused on how to safely prescribe opioid medication and on limiting access to opioid medication. These are important steps in solving the problem, but more needs to be done to address the underlying issue: addiction.
Colorado officials are recommending that edible marijuana products be labeled with a red stop sign, the Associated Press reports. The state may also ban the word “candy” from edible labels.
An increasing number of men are overusing body-building supplements in an attempt to meet the modern ideal of masculinity, researchers reported at the American Psychological Association annual meeting.
Mice addicted to methamphetamine who received a single injection of an experimental drug called blebbistatin did not experience a relapse, a new study finds.
Get Support
