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.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association will implement a new policy on August 1 that lowers the threshold for what determines a positive marijuana test, The Baltimore Sun reports.
Pediatricians can help parents quit smoking, a new study suggests.
Sleep problems and substance use disorders often go together, according to a specialist who says many people continue to have insomnia even after they are able to successfully stop abusing drugs and alcohol.
A group that advocates for the legalization of marijuana will run a video ad outside a NASCAR race in Indianapolis this weekend, USA Today reports. It will be the first time such an ad will appear so close to the entrance of a major sporting event.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear announced this week that the number of doses of opioid painkillers that were prescribed in the state have dropped in the last year, since he signed a new law designed to cut down on prescription drug abuse.
Services offered by a quit-smoking hotline will be drastically reduced for uninsured smokers in Washington state starting on August 1.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed a law aimed at reducing the number of people who operate a boat under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
An analysis of studies suggests children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are more likely to have conduct problems later in life, such as getting into fights or having attention difficulties, compared with children of nonsmoking mothers.
The national association representing pharmacy benefits managers, which administer prescription drug plans for more than 210 million Americans, has released recommendations aimed at reducing prescription drug abuse and fraud in Medicare.
The results of a study of compulsive drinking habits in rats could one day lead to a treatment for similar behavior in humans, according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. The treatment would only be effective if a person wanted to stop drinking, they say.
Pope Francis spoke out against legalizing drugs in Latin America, and called drug cartels “merchants of death,” Wednesday during his visit to Brazil.
The Food and Drug Administration says menthol-flavored cigarettes raise critical public health questions, and likely pose a greater risk to the health of smokers than non-menthol cigarettes, The Wall Street Journal reports.
A new survey finds 82 percent of American adults say they support a ban on smoking in cars that are carrying children younger than 13.
The Indiana Poison Center reports major decreases in the number of reported overdoses from synthetic drugs such as bath salts and Spice, according to the Associated Press.
Arkansas is focusing on reducing prescription drug overdoses, which account for about one death daily in the state. State officials are working with health providers, law enforcement and educators to reduce abuse rates, according to the Associated Press.
Recent media reports paint emergency physicians as the source behind the recent dramatic rise in prescription drug abuse. We aren't. Despite certain perceptions to the contrary, we actually account for a very low percentage of all narcotics prescribed, explains a physician from the American College of Emergency Physicians.
The United States Navy announced it is cutting back the sale hours for alcohol at base stores, in an effort to reduce sexual assaults, The Washington Times reports.
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun has been suspended for the rest of the season by Major League Baseball, for violating the league’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, MLB.com reports.
The police department of Quincy, Massachusetts, the first in the nation to require every officer on patrol to carry the opioid overdose antidote Narcan, reports a 95 percent success rate with the treatment, CBS News reports.
Heroin use, which already has been a problem in northern and central Kentucky, has been spreading to the southern and eastern parts of the state, The Lexington Herald-Leader reports.
An increasing number of doctors who treat chronic pain are requiring their patients who take opioids to submit to urine drug tests. The doctors are trying to avoid being held responsible if patients die from painkiller overdoses, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Former smokers earn more on average than current smokers or those who never smoked, a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta concludes.
A case to be argued in Hawaii federal court mixes religion and marijuana, according to The New York Times. The founder of the Hawai’i Cannabis THC Ministry was among several people to be indicted on charges that include conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana.
The California Department of Health Care Services announced an investigation of 16 substance abuse treatment centers for patients on Medi-Cal, the state’s insurance plan for people on welfare and other low-income residents. The centers are suspected of fraud and hiring providers who have felonies on their records.
How can we get past the stigma and ensure that our children, our loved ones and everyone affected by addiction receives the appropriate care, asks Dr. Thomas McLellan of the Treatment Research Institute.
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