The Latest News from Our Field

Top headlines of the week from Friday, November 14- Thursday, November 20, 2014.

There are many positive aspects to being in recovery, suggests a new survey of people who are experiencing recovery from alcohol or drug problems. The findings of the national survey of more than 9,000 people will help both people in recovery, and those who treat them, according to the researchers.

Almost one-fifth of college students say they abuse prescription stimulants, a new survey finds. The most commonly abused stimulants are medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, such as Ritalin, Adderall and Vyvanse.

The family of the late reggae superstar Bob Marley has announced they have joined with a private equity firm to develop Marley Natural brand marijuana, Money reports.

The percentage of women dependent on opioids during pregnancy more than doubled from 1998 to 2011, a new study finds. The overall rate of opioid dependency in pregnant women remains low, at 0.39 percent.

A new cigarette made by tobacco giant Reynolds American will heat tobacco instead of burning it, the Associated Press reports. The product, called Revo, uses a carbon tip that heats tobacco after being lit.

A new study finds more than 40 percent of calls to the National Poison Data System about energy drinks involve children under age 6. In many cases, the children experienced abnormal heart rhythms or seizures, CNN reports.

Researchers are working to develop prescription drugs that mimic the medicinal benefits of marijuana without producing a high, according to The Boston Globe.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents surprised National Football League team medical staffs on Sunday with inspections. The agents were looking for evidence of drugs dispensed to players illegally to keep them on the field in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, The Washington Post reports.

Almost 23 percent of high school students use tobacco products, and more than 90 percent of those students smoke cigarettes, cigars, hookahs or pipes, a new government study finds.

Members of Congress from states with legal marijuana are joining with Representative Dana Rohrabacher of California to urge the federal government not to interfere with state drug policy.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents are seeing a dramatic increase in liquid meth in Texas, according to an official with the agency.

Having even one drink doubles a person’s risk of ending up in the emergency room, according to an international study. A person who consumes three drinks in six hours is about 4.6 times as likely to end up in the ER compared with someone who hasn’t had any drinks.

U.S. soldiers who have undergone inpatient psychiatric treatment have a greatly increased risk of suicide in the year after they are discharged from the hospital, suggests a new study.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, November 7- Thursday, November 13, 2014.

Low-income families face health-related disparities on multiple levels. Laura Hamasaka of Legacy shares how the Head Start Tobacco Initiative seeks to increase awareness of the health consequences of tobacco use, reduce children’s exposure to secondhand smoke, and increase the capacity of its programs to address tobacco cessation and secondhand smoke.

Scientists are working to develop opioid painkillers with a low potential for abuse. About a dozen such drugs are currently in development, according to The Courier-Journal.

Now that four states have legalized recreational marijuana, the American Civil Liberties Union plans to turn its focus from legalization to decriminalizing drug possession, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Most smokers with bladder cancer are aware that using tobacco increased their risk of disease, a new study finds. More than half of bladder cancers in the United States are caused by smoking.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is calling for drug testing for people receiving unemployment benefits and welfare. The proposal could run into legal obstacles, The Washington Post reports.

Some pain specialists are ordering costly, unneeded drug tests for their elderly patients, in order to receive payment from Medicare, The Wall Street Journal reports. These doctors are testing for drugs rarely used by elderly patients, such as heroin, cocaine and PCP.

A new poll finds 51 percent of U.S. adults favor legalizing marijuana, down from 58 percent last year.

Medicare issued a proposal this week to cover annual lung cancer screenings for people with a history of heavy smoking.

Dozens of websites selling illegal drugs and guns were shut down by law enforcement authorities across the United States and Europe last week, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Following the passage of measures to legalize recreational marijuana in Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., advocates say they are now focusing on California.