The Latest News from Our Field

Bills that would require drug testing for welfare applicants advanced in Texas and Kansas this week.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who last week proposed requiring stores to keep tobacco products out of sight, also seeks to establish a minimum price for cigarettes and little cigars, The New York Times reports.

More than 120 presenters are set to lead a national discussion about ways to Make An Impact on the prescription drug abuse epidemic when the 2013 National Rx Drug Abuse Summit convenes in Florida April 2-4, says Karen Kelly of Operation Unite.

Children of divorced parents are more likely to smoke when they reach adulthood, compared with their peers whose parents have stayed together, a new study finds.

A study of mice suggests why some people may be more susceptible than others to alcohol addiction. The findings may one day lead to improved treatments, the researchers say.

As marijuana becomes legal in a growing number of states, for medical or recreational use, businesses are hoping to profit from the trend, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The number of deaths due to oxycodone decreased by 29 percent in Florida in the first six months of 2012, compared with the second half of the previous year, according to a new report.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended the agency approve a drug to treat opioid dependence, but voiced concerns about the safety of the manufacturer’s marketing plan.

Using marijuana in college may increase the risk of leaving school, a new study suggests. Researchers found even students who only used marijuana occasionally were more likely to leave than their peers who did not use drugs.

Energy drinks may increase blood pressure, and lead to changes in the heart’s natural rhythm, according to a study presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association.

Officials in Ohio report Suboxone, used to treat opioid dependence, is being smuggled into prisons in the state, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

The abuse of prescription drugs is well documented, but if we are to expand our fight against prescription drug abuse and want the support of policy makers, it is incumbent upon us to find new sources of revenue that will pay for the changes that must be made, says Andrew Kessler, substance abuse and mental health specialist.

Monster Energy has agreed to market its drinks as beverages, instead of dietary supplements, CNN reports. The company’s decision comes after 18 public health experts asked the Food and Drug Administration to restrict caffeine content in energy drinks.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is hiring contractors who can deploy hazardous waste contamination teams to two sites in Texas, to extract drug packages buried in toxic waste, according to Wired.

Researchers who have developed a secondhand tobacco smoke sensor say their product could be used to enforce no-smoking regulations.

The Florida House Judiciary Committee this week passed a bill that would add 27 substances to the list of controlled substances that are banned in the state. The bill aims to make it more difficult for makers of synthetic drugs to manufacture their products.

A bipartisan group of legislators introduced a bill that would tighten restrictions on hydrocodone, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Safe Prescribing Act of 2013 follows recommendations made in January by a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel.

Adults with a substance use disorder or mental illness smoke almost 40 percent of cigarettes in the United States, a new government study finds.

Toddlers of women who used methamphetamine in pregnancy, who live in an unstable home environment, appear to have an abnormal response to stress, a new study suggests.

Officials in Washington state have chosen a think tank to help them set up and regulate its new marijuana market, Reuters reports.

A new report finds small children who end up in the emergency room after being accidentally poisoned from medication are more likely to find the pills in a mother’s purse or the floor than the family medicine cabinet.

The U.S. government will not fight for graphic warning labels on cigarette packages, and will instead create new anti-smoking ads, Reuters reports.

A group of health experts is asking the Food and Drug Administration to restrict the amount of caffeine permitted in energy drinks, according to The New York Times.

The evidence of the harmful effects of alcohol outweighs data on the benefits of drinking, a physician writes in the current issue of the journal Addiction.

The first national study to identify alcohol brands consumed by underage youth finds the top 25 brands accounted for almost half of youth alcohol consumption.