The Latest News from Our Field

Authorities charged with reigning in the international drug trade are having a difficult time, as it spreads to new markets and quickly evolves, an expert tells CNBC.

Purdue Pharma, which makes the opioid painkiller OxyContin, has compiled a database of about 1,800 doctors it suspects may have recklessly prescribed the drug to people addicted to it, as well as to drug dealers, the Los Angeles Times reports. The company has kept most of the list private.

Many marijuana growers are trying to increase the content of the drug’s active ingredient, THC, as high as it will go, CNN reports. High-potency marijuana can lead to dangerous behavior, such as intoxicated driving, several experts say.

Recent research suggests people who drink moderately—about two glasses a day for men, and one for women—may gain less weight than those who drink heavily or don’t drink at all, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A growing number of law enforcement officials around the country are prosecuting drug dealers for causing heroin overdose deaths, the Associated Press reports.

Attorney General Eric Holder will announce today a Justice Department plan to change how some non-violent drug offenders are prosecuted, according to The Washington Post. Low-level, nonviolent drug offenders who are not tied to large-scale drug organizations or gangs will not face mandatory minimum sentences.

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta’s announcement last week that he now supports medical marijuana has sparked a debate among drug policy experts. He wrote an online piece, “Why I Changed My Mind on Weed,” which promoted his documentary, “Weed,” that ran on CNN Sunday night.

Federal officials are investigating the use of antipsychotic drugs in children enrolled in Medicaid. The Wall Street Journal reports the probe was sparked by concerns the drugs are being prescribed too often to treat behavior problems in very young children.

For four years of high school, most adults were against teen drinking. They would ground us, punish us, deactivate our cell phones and take away our car keys if they suspected kids were drinking. But after graduation, the adults I know now tell me that drinking is important for the “college experience,” observes one incoming college freshman.

Emergency rooms reported a 300 percent jump in visits related to stimulant abuse among young adults from 2005 to 2011. According to The New York Times, 23,000 people ages 18 to 34 visited the ER in 2011 after taking drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin.

Children today are exposed to significantly less secondhand smoke than they were a decade ago—unless they have asthma, according to a new government report.

Many teens who use smokeless tobacco also smoke cigarettes, according to a national survey of almost 19,000 middle school and high school students.

Wal-Mart is taking steps to significantly boost alcohol sales, Bloomberg News reports. The company is devoting more shelf space to alcohol, offering discounts on beer and doubling the number of company alcohol buyers.

Rural areas are seeing a surge in heroin use, The Wall Street Journal reports. The rise comes as Mexican heroin production has increased in recent years, and as people addicted to prescription painkillers switch to heroin, which is cheaper.

Many outdoor venues, including parks, beaches and college campuses, are banning smoking, according to ABC News. The number of outdoor smoking bans has almost doubled in the last five years.

A device used for medical marijuana, called the “G-Pen,” is becoming popular with teens, MyFoxNY reports.

Students at a high school in Illinois will be randomly tested for alcohol this year, according to ABC News. The test uses hair samples.

Alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be safely treated together, a new study concludes. The study addresses concerns that treating PTSD could worsen alcoholism by bringing up painful memories, Reuters reports.

Performance-enhancing drugs, which led to the suspension of 13 Major League Baseball players this week, can have severe long-term health effects, an expert tells Fox News.

Teens whose parents have ever smoked are more likely to become smokers, even if their parents quit before they were born, according to a new study. Teens with an older sibling who smokes are also more likely to start using cigarettes.

Since local and statewide bans of synthetic drug sales in Florida have taken effect, the products are no longer easy to find in gas stations and convenience stores, according to an expert who tracks emerging psychoactive drugs. Calls to poison control centers have dropped, and fewer people are being rushed to the emergency room with side effects from the drugs.

Methadone maintenance has been used in the United States for approximately 50 years as an effective treatment for opioid addiction. Yet many myths about its use persist, discouraging patients from using methadone, and leading family members to pressure patients using the treatment to stop, explains addiction expert Dr. Edwin A. Salsitz.

A new government report shows 37 percent of U.S. pedestrians killed in 2011 were drunk, USA Today reports. Thirty-five percent of those killed had blood alcohol levels that were at or above the legal limit for driving.

Many people addicted to opioids are undergoing short-term detoxification, instead of receiving long-term maintenance treatment, according to a new report. In the journal Health Affairs, eight experts write this means many people are not receiving adequate opioid addiction treatment.

Major League Baseball suspended the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez and 12 other players on Monday for violating the league’s antidoping rules, according to The New York Times.