The Latest News from Our Field

Top headlines of the week from Friday, January 23, 2015- Thursday, January 29, 2015.

Although authorities are trying to crack down on synthetic marijuana, emergency department physicians are still seeing an influx of young people who experience serious side effects after taking the drug, according to Lewis S. Nelson, M.D., Professor in the Dept. of Emergency Medicine and a medical toxicologist at NYU.

A new study finds financial incentives can be an effective way to help pregnant women quit smoking.

Adults with a history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who drink or use drugs start at an earlier age on average than those with no history of the disorder, a new study suggests.

More people have been calling poison control centers in Colorado and Washington state since recreational marijuana became legal for adults 21 and older in those states, the Associated Press reports.

A Drug Enforcement Administration program to track license plates, designed to combat drug trafficking, is being used for other purposes, The Wall Street Journal reports. The database is also being employed to search for vehicles associated with other crimes, including kidnappings and murders, according to the newspaper.

Almost one-third of women of childbearing age had an opioid painkiller prescription filled each year from 2008 to 2012, according to a new government study. These drugs can increase the risk for birth defects, The New York Times reports.

The group representing the nation’s pediatricians issued a statement this week opposing the legalization of marijuana. The drug can be harmful to adolescent health and development, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The Clinton Foundation announced Monday it has negotiated a lower price for a device that delivers the opioid overdose antidote naloxone. The device, called Evzio, will be available at a lower price to institutions that can distribute naloxone more widely, such as police departments and universities.

Mixing alcohol and energy drinks leads to negative consequences that are a public health concern, according to a new paper. Combining the two beverages makes a person want to drink more and masks the signs of drunkenness, Time reports.

Vapor produced by e-cigarettes can contain formaldehyde at levels five to 15 times higher than regular cigarettes, a new study finds. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, NPR reports.

Most states are failing to curb tobacco use, according to a new report from the American Lung Association. Only Alaska and North Dakota are funding their state tobacco prevention programs at levels recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Owners of legal marijuana businesses in Colorado and Washington state will have to file their first federal tax returns this year, CNBC reports. While the cost of growing marijuana is deductible under the federal tax code, the cost of selling it is not.

Substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals from around the nation will gather at the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s 25th Annual National Leadership Forum, February 2-5.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, January 16, 2015- Thursday, January 22, 2015.

Since California passed the first medical marijuana legislation in 1996, 22 other states and the District of Columbia have followed suit. However, under federal law, marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance and illegal for any use, whether medical or recreational. When it comes to marijuana, does federal law trump state law?

Smokers burn through an average of $1.4 million in personal costs, a new study concludes. The figure includes spending on cigarettes, medical costs and lower wages brought on by smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke, CBS News reports.

Federal agents arrested a man Tuesday who told them he was a top assistant to the operator of Silk Road 2.0, a widely used online criminal marketplace. The site allowed anonymous users to buy and sell illegal drugs, weapons and other illegal items.

Teenagers who don’t get enough sleep are at higher risk of developing problems with alcohol compared with their peers who don’t drink, a new study suggests.

Under a new law, Maine will require drug testing for welfare recipients with a prior drug conviction within the past 20 years who indicate a potential for drug dependency.

A spate of home explosions caused by amateur hash oil makers is an unexpected consequence of legal marijuana in Colorado, The New York Times reports.

A new, more dangerous form of the club drug known as “poppers” is being marketed toward and used by some gay men, a new study concludes. Poppers are inhaled drugs. The new forms can contain harmful solvents and propellants.

Almost 42 percent of American adults who drink also use medications that can interact dangerously with alcohol, according to a new study. Among adults 65 and older, the rate rises to almost 78 percent.

CVS President and CEO Larry Merlo, who announced earlier this year the company was halting tobacco sales, will be a guest of First Lady Michelle Obama at tonight’s State of the Union address.

The diversion and abuse of prescription painkillers decreased slightly between 2011 and 2013, after increasing substantially from 2002 to 2010, according to a study in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine. The findings suggest the U.S. may be making progress in controlling prescription opioid abuse, the researchers say.