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.
Only 25 percent of all substance abuse treatment facilities offer at least one medication to treat alcohol use disorders (AUD), a new study finds. Although four drugs have been approved by the FDA for this purpose, many patients lack access to evidence-based treatments that can potentially benefit them, the researchers say.
The drug naltrexone, used to treat alcoholism, may also be useful in treating methamphetamine addiction, a small new study suggests.
People who visit the emergency room at least four times in one year are at much greater risk of dying from a prescription drug overdose, compared with those who visit the ER once a year or not at all, a new study finds.
Congress appears unlikely to overturn a ban on using federal money for needle exchanges, despite a severe outbreak of HIV and hepatitis due to increased heroin use in several states, The New York Times reports.
More than 20 percent of the world’s adult population—one billion people—smoke, while almost 5 percent—240 million—have an alcohol use disorder, according to a new report.
Law enforcement officials are reporting an increase in marijuana-infused edible products being transported illegally across state lines for resale.
Scientists have figured out how to brew heroin’s raw ingredient in genetically modified yeast, raising concerns over whether the process should be regulated, according to The New York Times.
Emergency rooms across the country reported a large increase in the number of visits related to the opioid painkiller tramadol between 2005 and 2011, HealthDay reports. Tramadol is the active ingredient in a number of brand-name drugs, including Ultram, Ultracet, Conzip and Ryzolt.
Caffeine powder, sold as a dietary supplement, is dangerous and should be better regulated, according to lawmakers and consumer groups.
President Obama has chosen former senior Federal Bureau of Investigation official Chuck Rosenberg to be the interim director of the Drug Enforcement Administration, The New York Times reports. Rosenberg replaces Michele Leonhart, who announced her retirement last month.
A program to destroy the Colombian cocaine crop by spraying herbicide may end because of concerns the active ingredient in the herbicide could cause cancer. Experts say the result may be a surge in the country’s cocaine production, according to Time.
Offering financial incentives to smokers to quit is more effective than offering free counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, a new study concludes.
CVS Health Corp has agreed to pay $22 million to resolve a federal investigation into whether two of its pharmacies in Florida sold oxycodone pills that were not prescribed for legitimate medical purposes, Reuters reports.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, May 8- Thursday, May 14, 2015.
The state of substance abuse prevention, early intervention and treatment for adolescents and young adults is inadequate. With the promise of the Affordable Care and Parity Acts, there is greater potential for change.
Harmful drinking is increasing among young people in many nations, according to a new report. Alcohol is becoming more available, affordable and more effectively advertised, the report concludes.
A health warning about the painkiller codeine being transmitted to babies through breast milk has led to a decline in the number of new mothers prescribed the drug, HealthDay reports. There is a rare but potential risk that breastfeeding babies can overdose from codeine if their mothers take the drug.
The Food and Drug Administration this week denied a request from two subsidiaries of the tobacco company Reynolds American to change the warning label of smokeless tobacco products to indicate they are less risky than traditional cigarettes.
California emergency rooms have seen a sixfold jump in the number of young adults in their 20s with heroin poisoning over the last decade, according to Reuters.
People who initially use drugs only on the weekend often start using them during the week, a new study suggests.
Prescription painkiller abuse is largely to blame for a big increase in the rate of hepatitis C among young people in rural areas of four states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new synthetic drug known as “flakka” appears to be as potent and addictive as bath salts, a new rodent study suggests. Flakka and bath salts are chemically similar.
Legal marijuana businesses face tremendous tax bills because they cannot take deductions on rent, employee salaries or utility bills, The New York Times reports. The ban on marijuana deductions comes from a federal law aimed at drug dealers.
Many teens who use e-cigarettes say they enjoy performing tricks with the vapor, such as blowing smoke rings or creating funnels of smoke that look like tornadoes. Performing tricks is one of the top two reasons teens say they enjoy using e-cigarettes, Reuters reports.
A new analysis of Medicare’s prescription drug program finds generic Vicodin was the most widely prescribed drug in 2013, according to The Wall Street Journal. More than half of the prescriptions came from family practice or internal medicine doctors.
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