The Latest News from Our Field

The U.S. Treasury Department announced alcohol manufacturers can place nutrition labels on beer, wine and spirits. The labels are voluntary, according to the Associated Press.

European governments should ban flavored tobacco products and require plain packaging, the European Society of Cardiology announced Friday, designated as World No Tobacco Day.

The American Cancer Society is urging New York to become the first state to ban the sale of sweet-flavored little cigars, chewing tobacco and loose tobacco in convenience stores. The group says these products are aimed at children.

A drug used to treat liver toxicity in Tylenol overdoses may be helpful in treating teens dependent on marijuana, when it is combined with behavioral therapy, according to an expert speaking at the recent American Psychiatric Association annual meeting.

Nicotine replacement therapy and antidepressants are safe and effective in helping people quit smoking, a review of studies concludes.

Smoking will no longer be allowed within 25 feet of Starbucks storefronts in the United States or Canada starting June 1, NBC Los Angeles reports.

Health groups including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Legacy and the American Heart Association are asking several attorneys general to investigate a new ad campaign for Camel Crush cigarettes. The groups say the ads target young people.

Marijuana compounds may help control blood sugar and lower the risk of diabetes, a new study suggests. The compounds also might help users control their weight, according to Time.com.

Some college students are experimenting with inhaling alcohol by pouring it over dry ice and “smoking” the vapors, according to an expert who says the practice is dangerous.

Taking medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood does not affect the risk of substance abuse later in life, according to a new study. Earlier research indicated children who took ADHD drugs had a reduced risk of substance abuse, The New York Times reports.

A poll of doctors finds 76 percent say they would approve of the use of medical marijuana to treat pain in an older woman with advanced breast cancer.

Last year 73 new synthetic drugs were detected in Europe, according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Of these drugs, 30 were variations of synthetic marijuana.

Thank you for supporting our effort to have products that promote prescription drug abuse removed from Urban Outfitters (UO) stores and website. UO has yet to respond to our demands, so we invite you to join us for a phone campaign to Urban Outfitters CEO & Chairman to request that the merchandise be removed immediately.

Strong connections with parents who advise against drug use reduce teens’ risk of abusing prescription drugs, a new study finds.

A Kentucky law allows parents to petition the court to order involuntary drug treatment for their adult children, USA Today reports. Other concerned people may also file a petition under Casey’s Law.

Researchers at the University of Michigan will try to document the impact of medical marijuana, with a $2.2 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Depictions of drinking alcohol in movies increased between 1996 and 2009, while smoking scenes decreased, according to a new study.

Altria is a leading manufacturer of a product that causes over 400,000 deaths a year in the U.S. and close to six million deaths every year worldwide, and Corporate Responsibility Magazine has once again ranked Altria as one of the “100 Best Corporate Citizens.”

Almost one-quarter of parents do not think they can influence their teens’ use of alcohol, drugs or tobacco, according to a new government report. Nine percent of parents say they did not talk to their teens about the dangers of substance abuse in the past year.

A new study finds little evidence that mothers’ use of cocaine during pregnancy in the 1980s led to a proliferation of “crack babies,” the Associated Press reports.

A study of men arrested in five major U.S. cities finds more than 60 percent use illegal drugs, but most do not receive treatment.

Children who accidentally eat food such as cookies made with marijuana can get sick, according to a new study. Researchers at Colorado Children’s Hospital report they treated 14 children who ingested the drug, half of whom ate marijuana-laced foods.

More than half of internal medicine residents at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston say they were not adequately trained in addiction and other substance use disorders, according to a new survey.

On Wednesday 23 attorneys general sent a letter to Urban Outfitters CEO and Chairman Richard A. Hayne, urging him to remove products promoting prescription drug abuse from the stores’ shelves.

A new campaign launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages smokers to talk with their physician about quitting. The “Talk With Your Doctor” campaign also provides materials for physicians to help their patients give up cigarettes.