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.
Overdose deaths from prescription narcotics tripled from 2009-2010, compared with a decade earlier, according to a new government report.
An extended-release drug to treat alcohol and opioid dependence can lead to savings in healthcare costs, even though the drug itself is expensive, a new study concludes.
E-cigarette use is not leading many people who smoke regular cigarettes to quit, a new study concludes. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco also found e-cigarettes are being heavily marketed to young people.
Prisons in Ohio have a large population of people addicted to heroin and painkillers, an official told the state Senate Finance Committee this week.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, May 9- Thursday, May 15, 2014.
Miami University is using an innovative approach to preventing prescription drug abuse among its students. Before prescribing medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the university student counseling service requires students to participate in a workshop about time management, and another session about taking medication safely.
A new study finds two medications that can help people quit drinking are rarely used. The drugs, naltrexone and acamprosate, could be helping many thousands of people, the researchers say.
The Clinton Foundation wants to decrease the cost of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved a handheld device that delivers a single dose of naloxone.
Male college students are much more likely to drive after smoking marijuana than to drive after drinking, a new study finds.
Young people who misuse prescription stimulants to increase their attention span and memory may be risking long-term impairment to brain function, a new study suggests.
Lawmakers in Colorado are considering stricter regulations for marijuana edibles, in the wake of two deaths connected with the products. Experts warn consuming the edibles can lead to bizarre behavior, USA Today reports.
State budget cuts have resulted in poor treatment for those with severe mental illness, according to USA Today. Many end up in jail, emergency rooms or the streets.
At least 28 people in Philadelphia died after using heroin laced with the painkiller fentanyl between March 3 and April 20, the city announced Monday.
The latest National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day was the most successful yet, resulting in 780,158 pounds of prescription pills collected across the country on April 26.
The Drug Enforcement Administration announced Wednesday it conducted a major crackdown on synthetic drugs that involved the arrest of at least 150 people in 29 states, and the seizure of more than $20 million in products and cash.
Doctors in Philadelphia say a 10-month-old infant who was rushed to the emergency room after swallowing e-cigarette refill liquid is one of a growing number of children who have been harmed by the fluid.
The Defense Department will target alcohol consumption as part of its campaign to reduce sexual assault in the military, Stars and Stripes reports.
Many professional golfers use smokeless tobacco, but few want to admit it, according to The New York Times.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, May 2- Thursday, May 8, 2014.
As we have learned from other previously stigmatized diseases, the role of advocacy in driving change is critical. By outlining the current state of our adolescent substance abuse treatment system, we can lay the framework for what needs to be done, and how we can come together as a community to address this growing crisis, says Kathleen Meyers of the Treatment Research Institute.
The privacy of information contained in prescription drug monitoring databases is being tightened, The Wall Street Journal reports. Privacy advocates hail the trend, while law enforcement officials say it is hampering their attempts to curb prescription drug abuse.
A new government report finds 10 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds had a major depressive episode in the past year. Almost 20 percent of young adults, ages 18 to 25, had any mental illness in the past year.
Government researchers will have access to an increased supply of marijuana for medical research, the Drug Enforcement Administration has announced.
Only 41 percent of college students say misusing prescription stimulants for academic purposes should be considered cheating, according to a survey at an unnamed Ivy League institution.
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