The Latest News from Our Field

Federal legislators and officials say there is an alarming increase in the amount of heroin being brought into the United States, The Washington Times reports. At a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, legislators called for solutions to this public health crisis.

Teens’ perceptions of e-cigarettes are influenced by friends and family, a new study concludes. If friends and family view the devices as cool or acceptable, a teen is more likely to use them.

Some strategies college students use to help protect them against drinking too much may backfire, a new study suggests. Some of these strategies are associated with greater alcohol use and an increased number of consequences, the researchers tell Reuters.

Oregon residents age 21 and older will be able to legally buy recreational marijuana starting on October 1, instead of late 2016 as had been expected, The Huffington Post reports.

The Obama Administration will spend an additional $100 million to fight drug abuse, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell announced. A major focus of the funding will be medication-assisted treatment.

E-cigarettes may be as addictive as regular cigarettes, a new study suggests. Researchers tested samples of e-liquids and found that much of the nicotine in e-cigarettes is the addictive form of the compound.

Hepatitis C is spreading quickly among people injecting drugs in Appalachia, The New York Times reports. The disease can lead to liver failure, cancer and sometimes death.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer of New York this week called for increased federal funding for technology designed to stop drunk driving. The technology, called Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety, prevents drivers with high blood-alcohol levels from starting a car.

A growing number of teens are smoking marijuana, a new study shows. The increase is greatest among black teens. Use of alcohol and cigarettes among this age group is declining, HealthDay reports.

A new Gallup poll finds 44 percent of American adults say they have tried marijuana. This is the largest percentage since Gallup began asking the question in 1969.

Some retirees are choosing to move to states where marijuana is legal, according to Reuters.

Child advocates in Massachusetts are calling for all public school students in the state to be screened for substance use, WBUR reports.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, July 17- Thursday, July 23, 2015.

Doctors at Stanford University are trying to help people dependent on opioid painkillers break the vicious cycle in which physical pain and emotional distress exacerbate one another.

The Bureau of Prisons, part of the U.S. Department of Justice, is proposing revisions to residential drug abuse treatment program regulations to allow greater inmate participation in the program, The Hill reports.

Children with mental health issues appear to be more likely to have serious problems that make it more difficult to lead successful lives in adulthood, a new study suggests.

“Very light” smoking, defined as smoking five or fewer cigarettes a day, appears to be popular among young women, a new study concludes.

A lab in Utah is analyzing sections of umbilical cords to look for evidence of mothers’ drug use, Medical Daily reports. Quickly identifying which infants have been exposed to drugs, and which drugs they were exposed to, can provide valuable information to neonatal specialists treating the babies, the lab says.

Providing broader access to medical marijuana through dispensaries may have the potential benefit of reducing prescription painkiller abuse, a new study suggests.

A new study finds while only about 1 percent of high school seniors say they have tried bath salts in the last year, almost one-fifth of those who tried it say they have taken the synthetic drug 40 times or more.

Tobacco companies are aggressively marketing to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) community, by positioning themselves as allies to the gay rights movement, according to Slate. A recent government report found LGBTQ individuals are more than 33 percent more likely to smoke cigarettes.

Ohio Governor John Kasich has signed emergency legislation that makes the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone available without a prescription. Pharmacies will now be able to offer naloxone over-the-counter to people cleared by a doctor or health officials, The Huffington Post reports.

A new study finds marijuana use among young teens is on the decline, while disapproval of the drug among this age group is increasing. Marijuana use is also on the decline among teens ages 15 to 17.

People who suffer from chronic back pain along with high levels of anxiety or depression are 75 percent more likely to abuse opioids than those with low levels of depression or anxiety, a new study suggests.

Being in a stimulating learning environment, even for a short time, may rewire the brain’s reward system and help protect against addiction, according to a new mouse study.