The Latest News from Our Field

Calls to poison centers about synthetic marijuana shot up 330 percent from January to April of this year, according to a new government report. Synthetic marijuana, sold under names including Spice and K2, remain on the market despite repeated attempts to ban them, HealthDay reports.

A new study finds about half of U.S. adult deaths from 12 cancers, including lung, colon and pancreatic cancer, are caused by smoking.

Sixty percent of adults say they want a complete ban on powdered alcohol in their state, while 84 percent want a ban on online sales of the product, according to a new national poll.

The rate of underage drinking dropped 6.1 percent from 2002 to 2013, according to a new government report. Binge drinking among U.S. residents ages 12 through 20 also declined, by 5.1 percent, USA Today reports.

Government officials and researchers are gathering in Washington state this week to discuss the impact of marijuana legalization, the Associated Press reports.

The new synthetic drug known as flakka is outpacing cocaine in popularity in south Florida, officials there say. Flakka is cheaper and easier to obtain than cocaine, according to Reuters.

The small industrial city of Marion, Ohio is reeling from a recent surge in heroin overdoses. The Associated Press reports more than 30 people were sent to the hospital, and two people died, after taking blue-tinted heroin from Chicago in a 12-day stretch.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, June 5- Thursday, June 11, 2015.

We must take a comprehensive approach and start from the bottom up. That is the focus of a bill I introduced, called the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015.

A new online poll finds about 10 percent of U.S. adults use e-cigarettes, significantly higher than a recent government estimate of 2.6 percent.

A driver alcohol detection system that would be installed in cars could be ready for production in five years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced.

At least 175,000 doses of prescription drugs were stolen from 27 pharmacies and two methadone clinics during the Baltimore riots in April, according to Police Commissioner Anthony Batts. He said the stolen drugs have led to turf wars and violence over their illegal resale.

Methamphetamine is growing in popularity among gay and bisexual black and Hispanic men in New York, according to The New York Times.

An increasing number of children under age 6 are being exposed to marijuana, according to a new study. Three-quarters of cases involve children who ingest the drug in the form of brownies, cookies and other foods containing marijuana.

Abuse-deterrent formulations of opioid painkillers are making it more difficult for people to misuse the medications, but have not eliminated the problem of opioid abuse, experts tell The New York Times.

A website that tracks street prices for illicit prescription drugs allows law enforcement and academics to follow drug trends, according to The Denver Post.

A growing number of counterfeit drug manufacturers are using call centers in the Philippines to facilitate sales, The Wall Street Journal reports.

A new study finds 14 percent of American adults currently have an alcohol use disorder. Many have never been treated, Time reports. Thirty percent of those interviewed said they had an alcohol-related problem at some time in their lives.

Inmates who are addicted to opioid drugs who continue to receive methadone maintenance treatment in prison are more likely to continue treatment once they are released, according to a new study.

The three largest U.S. tobacco companies this week announced they will drop their lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration, after the agency said it would reconsider rules about the companies’ product labels.

Officials in Beijing, China said they will make public the names of people who repeatedly ignore the city’s tough new smoking ban. Smoking will be outlawed in public places, including restaurants, offices and public transportation, NBC News reports.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, May 29- Thursday, June 4, 2015.

As marijuana use and potency increases, the demand for treatment for cannabis use disorder is on the rise. Frances Levin, MD, Kennedy Leavy Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center, explains what treatments are available and who is seeking help for the disorder.

Volunteer sober groups are expanding at summer music festivals, The New York Times reports. These groups are expected at more than a dozen festivals this year.

Drug use among American workers appears to be increasing, based on the results of drug tests. Traces of drugs were found in 3.9 percent of urine tests conducted for employers last year, up from 3.7 percent in 2013, according to The Wall Street Journal.