The Latest News from Our Field

A new study finds a connection between post-traumatic stress disorder and the number of cannabinoid receptors in the brain. These receptors are activated when a person uses marijuana.

Florida officials say heroin is making a comeback, now that the state has had success in shutting down “pill mills” selling prescription painkillers.

When Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi took office in 2011, Florida was in the midst of a public safety crisis of epic proportions – prescription drug abuse. This epidemic wasn't just affecting adults. It was affecting increasing numbers of pregnant women throughout the state, which fueled an explosion in cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome, babies being born exposed to prescription drugs.

Primary care physicians should ask their adult patients about their drinking habits, and counsel those whose alcohol use is risky, according to a new report.

Parents should start talking with their children about the dangers of drinking as early as age 9, according to a new government campaign.

In hotels that allow smoking in some rooms, nicotine residue ends up in all rooms, even those labeled “non-smoking,” a new study finds.

The first medical marijuana dispensaries in Washington, D.C., are expected to open later this month, ABC News reports. One will be located eight blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday denied a request from the maker of the painkiller Opana ER to block generic forms of the drug. The decision came as a surprise, Reuters reports.

An experimental anti-cocaine vaccine blocks the drug from reaching the brain, according to a study of non-human primates. Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York say human trials of the vaccine may begin within a year.

Colleges that are part of a national program to reduce binge drinking among students say the first two years have been productive. More schools will join the initiative in June.

Massachusetts will soon bring drug-sniffing dogs to 17 state prisons, according to Boston Magazine. The dogs will sniff visiting areas and visitors.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s second annual National Prevention Week begins on Sunday, May 12. This national health observance, which continues through May 18, aims to increase public awareness of, and action around, substance abuse and mental health issues.

Pregnant teens, who are more likely than pregnant adults to face medical issues, face a host of additional challenges if they are also being treated for substance abuse, a new government report finds.

Children whose parents are addicted to drugs or alcohol are more likely to be depressed as adults, a new study suggests.

Florida is launching a new initiative to tackle the growing problem of newborns exposed to prescription drugs, The Miami Herald reports.

New Jersey officials report a rise in heroin addiction, drug-related crime and deaths among young people in suburbs. Many became addicted to prescription painkillers, and switched to heroin because it is cheaper, potent and widely available.

Thanks to you, we are gaining momentum to put a stop to Urban Outfitters selling products made to look like prescription pill bottles!

Older teens and young adults with mental health issues who participate in community-based treatment programs report lower levels of substance use disorders, a new government report finds.

The American College of Chest Physicians this week recommended that older, heavy smokers receive annual low-dose CT scans to detect lung cancer, according to Reuters.

Legislators in Colorado on Wednesday passed the first laws regulating the state’s recreational marijuana market, which will take effect in January 2014. Governor John Hickenlooper is expected to sign them by early June, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Hal Rogers, on Monday called on Urban Outfitters to stop selling products designed to look like prescription pill bottles, the Associated Press reports.

Synthetic marijuana use during pregnancy can lead to symptoms similar to those caused by dangerous conditions known as preeclampsia and eclampsia, California doctors report.

Patient safety experts are urging hospitals to require physicians to have random drug and alcohol tests. The tests should also be conducted if a patient dies suddenly or is injured unexpectedly during surgery, they write in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Nine “recovery courts” will be created in Tennessee to combat substance abuse and mental health issues, state officials announced this week. They will combine services currently found in drug courts, mental health courts and veterans courts.

The Neurological Center for Pain’s Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program at the Cleveland Clinic has created a Chemical Education Track designed specifically for patients with chronic non-cancer pain who also have a therapeutic opioid addiction. Initial results are promising.