The Latest News from Our Field

A New Jersey congressman announced this week he will introduce legislation aimed at reducing prescription drug abuse among Medicare participants. Frank Pallone, Jr., is proposing to increase the requirements for verifying the validity of prescriptions before Medicare pays for the drugs.

The active ingredient in the synthetic drug known as bath salts could be more addictive than methamphetamine, a new study in rats suggests.

Women are more likely to describe intoxication with moderate words such as “tipsy” or “buzzed,” while men tend to use harsher words such as “hammered” or “wasted,” according to a new study.

School anti-alcohol policies are more effective when students think they are being enforced, researchers at the University of Washington have found. Students’ perceptions of the policies’ enforcement are more important than the details of the policies.

Drug abuse prevention advocates are calling on Washington state officials to tighten regulations to make marijuana-laced treats less attractive to children, according to Reuters. Cookies, candy and beverages containing the drug will be sold in the state starting next year.

A system of largely unregulated group homes provides poor living conditions to people throughout the country who are grappling with substance abuse, homelessness and a return to life after prison, according to Salon.com.

Experts are debating the safety of medical marijuana for children, NBC News reports. A number of states allow doctors to recommend a type of cannabis that doesn’t produce a high for children with conditions including cancer, seizures and autism.

Teens and young adults who are treated in the emergency room for injury from an assault, who own or carry a gun, are more likely to have problems with substance abuse and aggressive behavior than those without guns, a new study finds.

A former Marine claims synthetic drugs are popular in the U.S. military, according to a segment of National Geographic’s “Inside: Secret America,” which airs tonight. The program follows him and a current Marine as they purchase bath salts in smoke shops in San Diego, according to ABC News.

California lags behind the rest of the country by having a variety of certifications for substance use disorder treatment. Confusion like this is detrimental to the health and safety of the public, as well as to the clinicians themselves. All who support the integrity of our field must call for change, explains Phyllis Gardner, PhD, President of IC&RC.

Students taking attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder medication don’t perform better in school than their peers who do not use the drugs, a new study concludes.

A growing number of clinics around the country are treating pregnant women who are addicted to prescription painkillers, according to The Wall Street Journal. They are often associated with university medical centers, and are free for patients.

Patients in pain who are poor, black, or Hispanic are less likely to be given opioids in the emergency room, compared with wealthier white patients, a new study finds.

Tobacco control measures such as high tobacco taxes, bans on advertising, and laws prohibiting smoking in public places could prevent tens of millions of premature deaths around the globe, according to a study by the World Health Organization.

Deaths from prescription painkillers are rising more quickly among women than men, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Women’s deaths from the drugs have risen five-fold since 1999.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat opioid addiction that combines buprenorphine and naloxone. The drug, Zubsolv, is similar to Subutex and Suboxone, according to Reuters.

A growing number of small, inexpensive personal devices measure a person’s blood alcohol level, providing drivers with an easier way to assess their fitness to drive. Experts warn the devices do not guarantee a person can drive safely, The New York Times reports.

California lawmakers are debating whether to include e-cigarettes in bans on smoking in public places, the Los Angeles Times reports.

In an important step forward for victims of the past predatory marketing practices of Big Tobacco, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued last week its decision in Evans v. Lorillard, upholding $35 million in compensatory damages against Lorillard, the makers of mentholated Newport cigarettes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it has shut down 1,677 illegal online pharmacies, CNN reports. The websites sold counterfeit or substandard medications, or sold drugs without appropriate safeguards.

A single dose of Ritalin may help improve brain function in people addicted to cocaine, according to a small study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

A study of youth exposure to alcohol finds 37 percent of children in one Pennsylvania county had tasted alcohol by age 8, and two-thirds had tried it by the time they were 12.

Methamphetamine is being smuggled across the border in record amounts at San Diego’s San Ysidro port of entry, the Associated Press reports. The increase in part reflects a shift in meth production to Mexico after the United States cracked down on domestic labs.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and authorities in three other countries announced the arrests of dozens of people on Wednesday involved in trafficking designer drugs such as bath salts and synthetic marijuana.

As the workday grows ever longer, an increasing number of companies are offering alcohol as an office perk, according to The Wall Street Journal. Employment lawyers say the trend can lead to problems including drunk driving, assault, sexual harassment or rape.