The Latest News from Our Field

A new study links weight loss surgery with an increased risk for substance abuse. The study found patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery were at increased risk for alcohol use after the procedure.

Web-based programs are proving to be an innovative and powerful adjunct to addiction treatment, according to an expert on Internet treatment strategies. However, they are not meant to replace face-to-face addiction treatment, notes Paul Radkowski, CEO/Clinical Director at Life Recovery Program in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

While illicit drug use has decreased in most large American cities, prescription drug abuse has climbed, according to a new study.

Proponents of marijuana legalization measures in Oregon, Washington and Colorado have attracted some conservative backers with arguments about states’ rights and a mistrust of federal government, the Associated Press reports.

U.S. tobacco manufacturers objected on Monday to the requirement that they run corrective ads about the dangers of smoking. They told a federal judge they should not be forced to tell the public they lied about the health effects of “light” cigarettes, or that they manipulated nicotine levels to make cigarettes more addictive.

Face-to-face interventions are more effective than computer-delivered programs to curb college drinking, a new study finds.

A health campaign called the “American Medicine Chest Challenge” aims to educate the public about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. The campaign also provides safe options for disposing of prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

Veterans who smoke while trying to stop drinking have a more difficult time becoming sober than their peers who don’t smoke, a new study concludes.

Disagreements have arisen on both sides of the debate about a measure that would legalize recreational use of marijuana in Washington state, The New York Times reports. The divisions are making it difficult to predict the outcome.

Florida needs more resources to help the many newborns exposed to opioids, experts told a statewide task force. They said the number of such babies far exceeds the number of treatment beds available for mothers addicted to prescription drugs, and their newborns.

People who suffer from both mental illness and a substance use disorder often receive care from two very different types of systems, creating confusion for patients, their families and clinicians, says Ken Duckworth, MD, Medical Director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Injecting the painkiller Opana ER can lead to a serious blood disorder that can result in kidney failure or death, the Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday.

As United States law enforcement cracks down on methamphetamine producers, Mexican drug cartels are filling the void, according to the Associated Press. Cheap, very potent Mexican meth is appearing in American cities across the country.

Over the past 25 years, an estimated 240,000 people in Washington state have been arrested for marijuana possession, according to a study by an advocacy group. The study was released as Washington voters are considering a measure on the November ballot to legalize and tax marijuana sales at state-sanctioned stores.

The company that manufactures OxyContin is using a variety of ways to combat the abuse and diversion of prescription drugs. Purdue Pharma is monitoring drug counterfeiting and Internet distribution, analyzing pharmacy robberies and thefts, tracking the drug supply chain, and using unique tablet markings, phillyBurbs.com reports.

Adults living in low-income neighborhoods are generally more likely to be non-drinkers, compared with people living in higher income areas—except for black and Hispanic men, a new study concludes.

The presence of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, estimated to number between 500 and 1,000, makes it simple to obtain the drug for recreational use, according to critics of the storefronts. The City Council last week repealed a ban on the dispensaries that it had recently passed.

Tennessee state officials are studying drug-testing programs for welfare recipients in six other states, as they shape their own program, The Tennessean reports.

Six young men—five of them teenagers--developed kidney failure after using synthetic marijuana in recent months, health officials in Oregon and Washington report.

The U.S. Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to rehear a case about the Food and Drug Administration’s requirement that tobacco companies place graphic labels on cigarette packages to warn about smoking’s health dangers. In August, a three-judge appeals court panel affirmed a lower court ruling that blocked the mandate.

The 27th annual “Red Ribbon Week,” October 23-31, will raise awareness about drug prevention around the country. Families can get involved this year by entering a contest to promote awareness in their neighborhoods, and win a drug prevention grant for their children’s school.

The scientific nonprofit group that sets standards for medicine safety is proposing reworking and standardizing medication labels, in an effort to reduce potentially dangerous medication mix-ups.

Marines cited for drunk driving and other drinking-related incidents will be required to participate in a new program that focuses on early intervention, according to the Marine Corps Times.

Substance abuse treatment providers must take steps now to get ready for the influx of new patients they will begin to see in January 2014 as a result of the Affordable Care Act, according to an expert speaking at the National Conference on Addiction Disorders.

President Obama signed into law a measure that doubles sentences for pharmacy robberies, to 20 years, the Daily News reports.