The Latest News from Our Field

The United States did a dreadful job in recognizing and addressing the alcohol and drug problems of Vietnam era veterans. In shameful fact, a significant percent of the nation’s homeless men are Vietnam—and now Gulf War—veterans who never got the help they needed when they got home. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, we cannot allow this to happen again, says Dr. David Rosenbloom of the Boston University School of Public Health.

Rules that will require health insurers to provide coverage for addiction and mental health that is equal to benefits for general medical coverage will be issued Friday by the Obama administration, The New York Times reports.

Americans turned in 647,211 pounds, or 324 tons, of expired and unwanted medications for safe and proper disposal during the most recent National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on October 26. The event was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

An online training program designed to reduce prescription drug abuse shows promise in early results, HealthCanal reports.

Employers are reconsidering smoking bans in light of the growing popularity of e-cigarettes, Bloomberg reports.

A new online marketplace that sells illegal drugs opened Wednesday, Reuters reports. It is called Silk Road, the same name as the Internet marketplace for illegal drugs that was shut down last month by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

A new study adds to evidence that e-cigarettes may help some smokers quit. The study followed e-cigarette users for one year, and found they cut back or quit regular cigarettes in large numbers, according to Reuters.

As a growing number of young adults receive mental health care under the Affordable Care Act, costs are likely to rise, according to a new analysis. Under the law, mental health issues will now be treated the same as physical ailments, USA Today reports.

California rehab clinics continued to receive federal funds after the state government cancelled contracts with the facilities, following investigations into possible fraud, according to The Center for Investigative Reporting.

People who live in counties with higher concentrations of dentists and pharmacists are at increased risk of abusing prescription opioids, a new study suggests.

Negative emotions play an important role in cocaine abuse, a new animal study suggests. Researchers at Rutgers University say initial positive feelings of intoxication are quickly followed by negative emotional responses when drug levels start to fall.

Nonsmoking employees in trade positions, such as maintenance and repair workers, are significantly less likely than nonsmokers in professional fields to be protected against secondhand smoke, a new study finds.

Portland, Maine and three Michigan cities have approved measures that legalize the possession of marijuana, the Seattle Post Intelligencer reports.

In an effort to eliminate or reduce opioid abuse, Dr. Timothy Deer, President and CEO of The Center for Pain Relief, explains various pain treatment options physicians and patients should consider.

The drug gabapentin, used to treat epilepsy and some types of pain, can help people with alcoholism quit drinking, a new study concludes.

Teenage boys concerned with their body image are at increased risk of using drugs and alcohol, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The synthetic drug known as “N-Bomb” is being seen on the streets of St. Louis, KMOX reports. The drug is also known as “Smiles,” according to Dan Duncan, with the local office of the National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.

Less than a week after the New York City Council voted to raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco to 21, Washington, D.C. will consider a similar measure.

The Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the first pure hydrocodone drug concerns law enforcement agencies and addiction experts, who predict overdose deaths will increase, Newsday reports.

Use of marijuana and inhalants is more common in teens in the child welfare system compared with other teens, a new study finds.

Combining acetaminophen and even a small amount of alcohol can more than double a person’s risk of developing kidney disease, according to a study presented at the American Public Health Association annual meeting.

The National Institutes of Health announced the appointment of George Koob of the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego as the new director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The agency has operated under an acting director for several years.

The Recovery Research Institute, a new initiative at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Addiction Medicine and Harvard Medical School, seeks to disentangle the myths from the facts, conduct needed research and serve as a resource to locate the evidence-based truths about recovery.

A team of six runners from an Italian drug rehabilitation center will participate in the New York City Marathon on Sunday, The New York Times reports.

The Defense Department’s healthcare plan will cover the opioid addiction medications buprenorphine and methadone starting next month, according to the Air Force Times.