The Latest News from Our Field

One-fifth of patients who undergo surgery for orthopedic trauma, including broken bones, visit multiple doctors for painkiller prescriptions, according to a new study.

A new study of teens treated at an outpatient substance abuse clinic found many showed symptoms of marijuana withdrawal.

Alcohol ads that tell people to ‘drink responsibly’ don’t explain how to do so, a new study concludes. Instead, the ads tend to glamorize the products they are selling, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided last year not to approve implantable buprenorphine to treat opioid abuse, researchers have begun a new study to address the agency’s concerns about the product, called Probuphine.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has announced it will reclassify hydrocodone combination products such as Vicodin. Under the new rules, patients will be able to receive the drugs for only up to 90 days without receiving a new prescription, The Wall Street Journal reports.

In the past two years, 17 states have passed laws increasing access to the overdose antidote naloxone, bringing the total to 24. Most of the laws allow doctors to prescribe naloxone to friends and family members of a person who abuses opioids.

CVS Caremark will make good on its pledge to stop selling tobacco by October 1, according to USA Today. The pharmacy chain will stop selling tobacco today in all of its stores.

Colleges in states where medical marijuana is legal are telling students the drug is not allowed on campus, even if they have a doctor’s recommendation.

Some banks and credit unions are starting to do business with legal marijuana sellers, The Washington Post reports.

A new version of the “Truth” anti-smoking campaign, aimed at teenagers, urges them to use social media to convince their peers not to smoke, The New York Times reports. Previously, the campaign encouraged teens to focus their rebellious tendencies against tobacco companies.

Employers in Colorado are receiving mixed messages about how to deal with employees who use marijuana, according to NPR. Recreational use of marijuana is now legal for adults in both Colorado and Washington state.

More smokers use e-cigarettes to help them quit than prescription drugs like Chantix or nicotine gums or patches, a new study finds.

College students who are dependent on prescription painkillers can be successfully treated with buprenorphine/naloxone or sustained-release naltrexone, according to experts.

U.S. health officials say Robin Williams’ death highlights the increasing rate of suicide among American adults ages 45 to 64, The Wall Street Journal reports. Williams, 63, died in an apparent suicide on Monday.

Using marijuana at least once a week can lead to cognitive decline, poor attention and memory and decreased IQ in teens and young adults, according to researchers at the American Psychological Association annual meeting.

A survey of the U.S. homeless population indicates 26.6 percent of people living on the street report chronic substance abuse, according to The Washington Post.

Tobacco companies are trying to improve their image in a number of ways, NBC News reports. The effort includes promoting “smokeless” e-cigarettes, and the announcement that a subsidiary of Reynolds American is developing emergency Ebola treatments from tobacco plants.

The number of emergency department visits involving the sleep drug zolpidem (the active ingredient in Ambien) almost doubled over four years, according to a new government report.

A new ad campaign warns teenagers in Colorado about the long-term effects of marijuana use. The “Don’t Be a Lab Rat” campaign targets 12- to 15-year-olds, Reuters reports.

A group of 29 state attorneys general urged the Food and Drug Administration to impose restrictions on e-cigarettes, according to The Wall Street Journal. They are asking for a ban on television ads and on candy and fruit flavors.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer of New York says he will introduce a bill that would ban powdered alcohol. He is also urging retailers to boycott the product’s sale, which he says could hit store shelves as early as September.

Two new studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggest that brief counseling may not be effective in counteracting drug use. Previous research has shown brief interventions can help some problem drinkers, NPR reports.

Two males, ages 20 and 17, died after attending an all-day electronic dance music festival last weekend in Columbia, Maryland. Nineteen other people were hospitalized. Investigators said they suspected MDMA, or Molly, was the most commonly used drug at the festival.

New federal tobacco regulations contain a cost-benefit calculation known as the “happiness quotient,” which weighs the health benefits of reduced smoking against the loss in pleasure that smokers suffer when they quit. This calculation could make it harder for the Food and Drug Administration to take strong action against tobacco companies, critics say.