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.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is scheduled to testify today in favor of changing federal guidelines to reduce the average sentence for drug dealers, The New York Times reports.
The effectiveness of prescription drug monitoring programs, designed to reduce “doctor shopping” for opioids, has varied greatly by state, according to a new study by Columbia University researchers.
Teens who use e-cigarettes are more likely than their peers who do not use the devices to smoke regular cigarettes, a new study finds. They are also less likely to quit smoking, The New York Times reports.
A government panel said this week there is insufficient evidence about the best way for doctors to persuade children and teens not to use drugs.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, March 7- Thursday, March 13, 2014.
Many people in recovery face an overwhelming array of discriminatory barriers as a result of their addiction and/or criminal histories, which make it difficult to obtain employment, housing, education, public benefits and other necessities of life, says the Legal Action Center.
Some addiction experts say the U.S. government’s fight against prescription drug abuse may have inadvertently contributed to the rise in heroin use, according to The Washington Post.
The number of young adults in the U.S. taking medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nearly doubled from 2008 to 2012, according to Express Scripts, the nation’s largest prescription drug manager, The New York Times reports.
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin this week called on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to overrule the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to approve the pure hydrocodone drug Zohydro ER (extended release).
Jails and prisons are signing up inmates for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, according to The New York Times.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday called the increase in heroin overdoses “an urgent and growing public health crisis,” The Washington Post reports.
Substance abuse treatment providers say patients are having problems getting their care covered, even though such treatment is now considered an essential health benefit under the Affordable Care Act.
Americans’ cocaine use fell by about half from 2006 to 2010, while their use of marijuana jumped by more than 30 percent, a new report concludes.
Legislators in a number of states are continuing to pursue measures that would deny welfare benefits to people who use illegal drugs, according to USA Today.
Washington state issued its first license to produce and process recreational marijuana this week. The grower who received the license says he expects to have marijuana plants ready to harvest within two months, Reuters reports.
A group of former top health officials is urging tobacco companies to stop marketing and selling menthol cigarettes. The group includes all of the former U.S. Secretaries of Health, Surgeons General, and Directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A new survey of affluent women treated for alcohol and drug addiction finds prescription medication and heroin are their leading drugs of choice.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is joining with libertarian Republicans, including Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, in opposing mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, February 28- Thursday, March 6, 2014.
We have witnessed substance abuse problems spread from community to community, seemingly unabated. The National Rx Drug Abuse Summit is helping to meet challenges head-on through an unprecedented collaboration, says Dan Smoot of Operation Unite.
A growing number of teens are starting to use devices that are similar to e-cigarettes, with names such as “hookah pens,” “e-hookahs” or “vape pens.” The devices are being marketed to avoid the stigma associated with smoking any kind of cigarette, The New York Times reports.
Law enforcement officials are concerned about a potentially addictive drug called kratom, which is sold as a tea in head shops, according to USA Today.
A new study concludes the Affordable Care Act could give an estimated 4 million people who have spent time in U.S. jails better access to health care, including coverage for treating substance abuse and mental illness.
Some TV stations in New Jersey aired the first medical marijuana ad this week.
People who frequently abuse opioid painkillers are more likely to get the drugs from a doctor’s prescription or a dealer, rather than for free from family or friends, a new study finds.
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