The Latest News from Our Field

State laws that require private health plans to provide coverage for substance use disorders (SUD) that is equal to benefits for general medical coverage can increase access to SUD treatment, a new study suggests.

A poll of high school teens finds 77 percent say they don’t drink alcohol. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which released the survey, 69 percent of teens say they don’t drink, and an additional 8 percent say they used to drink, but don’t anymore.

Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy have an increased risk of being hospitalized for potentially deadly infections, according to new research.

A Gallup poll has found a majority of Americans say marijuana should be legalized. The poll found 58 percent favor legalization, a 10 percent increase since last year.

Maine has become the first state to allow prescription drugs to be purchased abroad, CBS News reports.

Tobacco companies, which have been banned from targeting children and teens in the United States, are focusing on young people in the developing world, according to Scientific American.

Vermont will join dozens of other states that have adopted tobacco-free policies at state-funded addiction treatment centers, the Associated Press reports.

Baby boomers appear to be carrying their substance abuse habits with them as they age, according to a behavioral health expert at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. David W. Oslin, MD, says binge drinking and prescription drug use are particular concerns in this population.

Almost one in 12 high school seniors smoke small, sweet-flavored cigars, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings are based on a survey of nearly 19,000 students in grades 6 through 12.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer of New York is calling on the Drug Enforcement Administration to establish a buy-back program for unused prescription drugs.

An international review of studies looking at substance abuse by truckers finds those who are most likely to use alcohol or drugs on the job are younger and less well paid.

Three months after medical marijuana dispensaries opened in Washington, D.C., the centers say they are losing money, according to The Washington Post. Patients say they have been discouraged by lengthy applications and warnings that marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

In the city that never sleeps, Molly is popular with people who work hard and party hard, according to New York substance abuse experts. They say a growing number of people are ending up in emergency rooms after taking the drug.

Living close to a tobacco retail outlet may increase a person’s urge to smoke, a new study suggests.

Addiction treatment experts urged New Jersey legislators last week to take steps to curb opioid abuse, including expanding what doctors are required to learn about addiction, and making participation in the state’s prescription drug monitoring program mandatory.

The outcome of a marijuana legalization vote in Portland, Maine on November 5 could indicate whether the East Coast is ready to follow the lead of Colorado and Washington state, the Associated Press reports.

As we prepare for holiday gatherings, longer breaks from school and home-bound college kids, a wary parent can be best equipped by taking time to become acquainted with the warning signs of drug and alcohol use and effective tactics to prevent and discuss substance use with an adolescent or young adult.

A study of college students finds false ID use may contribute to the risk of alcohol use disorder by making it easier for students to drink more frequently. The study found false IDs were used by almost two-thirds of students who had tried alcohol at least once before starting college.

High-cost cigarettes and smoke-free homes reduce smoking among people with low incomes, a new study concludes. Cigarettes that cost $4.50 or more per pack are associated with lower cigarette use, researchers from the University of California, San Diego found.

California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom is joining with the American Civil Liberties Union in an effort to craft a marijuana legalization measure, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The measure would go before California voters during the November 2016 election.

Legislators in Ohio, which has experienced a surge in opioid overdose deaths, are calling for stricter standards for prescribing opioids for pain, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

Washington state approved rules this week for the recreational sale of marijuana, the Associated Press reports. The Washington Liquor Control Board, which adopted the rules, will issue licenses for up to 334 marijuana stores across the state.

A group that represents 75 national fraternities has been successful in opposing college rules that are designed to reduce alcohol-related deaths by postponing freshman recruiting, according to Bloomberg.

An analysis of national data shows 53 percent of children ages 6 to 19 have been exposed to secondhand smoke. For children ages 6 to 11, even low levels of secondhand smoke were associated with more missed days of school, trouble sleeping, more wheezing and less physical activity.

Doctors in the Chicago suburb of Joliet say the number of people hospitalized with symptoms that suggest addiction to the flesh-eating drug krokodil has risen to five, CNN reports. Similar cases have been reported by health care providers in Arizona and Oklahoma.