The Latest News from Our Field

The recent spike in heroin deaths—which is real-- is being attributed to heroin mixed with fentanyl. We wring our hands about overdoses, but do little to make effective treatment widely available. Policy changes must be made to end this scandal explains David L. Rosenbloom, PhD, Professor at Boston University School of Public Health.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state’s largest health insurer, announced it has reduced prescriptions of narcotic painkillers by about 6.6 million pills in the past 18 months.

People seeking treatment for heroin addiction face a number of obstacles, including a lack of treatment beds, expensive care, and insurance companies that refuse to pay for inpatient rehab, according to ABC News.

About 3.7 million Americans, who live in states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, suffer from mental illness, psychological distress or a substance use disorder and don’t have health insurance, according to a recent report.

Employers in states where marijuana is legal for medicinal or recreational use must decide how to handle employees who use the drug when they are not on duty, USA Today reports.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a handheld device that delivers a single dose of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, The New York Times reports.

Major obstacles remain to expanded treatment for addiction through the Medicaid program, according to USA Today. Although the Affordable Care Act requires treatment be offered to people who are newly insured through insurance exchanges or Medicaid, experts say a federal law is limiting available beds nationwide.

Democratic governors around the country are reluctant to support the legalization of marijuana, despite enthusiasm for the idea among voters in their party. The New York Times reports the governors are concerned about managing legalization, as well as being perceived as being soft on crime by Republicans.

Poison control centers are reporting an increase in the number of calls they are receiving for nicotine poisoning from e-cigarettes. This February, centers received 215 calls, compared with about one per month in 2010.

A new survey finds 75 percent of Americans think it is inevitable that recreational marijuana will become legal across the country, ABC News reports. The survey also found a growing number of Americans support ending mandatory minimum prison sentences for non-violent drug offenders.

Contrary to the advice of many medical groups, more emergency departments are giving headache patients prescriptions for powerful narcotic painkillers, according to a new study.

A bill designed to overhaul the mental health care system in the United States has spurred debate among advocates for the mentally ill, The New York Times reports. Some groups oppose the measure because it includes provisions for expanded use of involuntary outpatient treatment.

College students who consume energy drinks are more likely than their peers who don’t use them to abuse prescription drugs, a new study concludes. The more energy drinks a student consumes, the greater their risk.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, March 28- Thursday, April 3, 2014.

Parents do have an influence on teens’ decisions about drinking, according to a new survey by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Teens are much less likely to drink if their parents tell them underage drinking is completely unacceptable, the survey found.

Researchers in Singapore announced they have developed a new test that can detect the date-rape drug GHB in drinks, according to HealthDay.

The drug baclofen, used to prevent spasms in patients with spinal cord injuries and neurological disorders, may be able to help prevent relapses in people treated for cocaine addiction, a new study suggests.

The way a person smokes marijuana is more important than how potent the drug is, or how much of the active ingredient THC it contains, in predicting whether the person will become dependent on the drug, a new study suggests.

The pure hydrocodone drug Zohydro ER (extended release) will be banned in Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick has announced. He cited a public health emergency stemming from opioid abuse, Reuters reports.

A growing number of states are changing their approach to low-level drug users, emphasizing treatment instead of incarceration, according to The Washington Post. The change is a result of both reduced budgets and shifting views on drug use.

Frequent involvement in spiritual activities appears to help in the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse in young people, a new study suggests.

Smoke-free laws are linked with substantial decreases in preterm births and children’s hospital visits for asthma, according to an international group of scientists.

The manufacturer of the recently approved pure hydrocodone drug Zohydro ER (extended release) announced it will assemble an oversight board designed to spot misuse of the drug, the Associated Press reports.

A smartphone app may help people in recovery from alcohol abuse to cut down on “risky drinking”—having more than three or four alcoholic drinks in a two-hour period, a new study finds.

Employers and legislators must decide whether to include e-cigarettes in smoking bans, according to NPR. Some public health experts say the devices should be included in workplace smoking bans because the health effects are unknown.