The Latest News from Our Field

An estimated $14 million collected through Maryland’s alcohol tax will be used to expand community-based, long-term care for the elderly and those with disabilities, according to the Associated Press.

Advocates around the nation are pushing for state laws that give people limited immunity on drug possession charges if they seek medical help for someone suffering from an overdose, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

An expert panel warned Tuesday that legalizing marijuana in just one state could drive down prices and encourage more people to use the drug, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Smoking increases the risk of reinfection with viral hepatitis in people receiving liver transplants, according to a new study.

The Atlanta City Council approved a ban on smoking in city parks, with fines of up to $1,000, six months in jail or community service for those who light up.

Prescription drug abuse is more than a public health epidemic – it’s a national tragedy, and a comprehensive national strategy for combating it is desperately needed, explains Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA).

The increase in prescription drug abuse in the United States is forcing the government to re-examine its emphasis on trying to stop shipments of illegal drugs into the country, The New York Times reports.

New York’s new prescription drug monitoring system, which will show pharmacists in real time whether patients have been “doctor shopping” for drugs, is a model for the rest of the country, state officials said Monday.

Increases in cigarette prices lead to significant increases in binge drinking in young adults, a new study suggests.

Law enforcement officials in Florida are facing the thorny question of how to handle people on probation who get caught using synthetic drugs, the Sun Sentinel reports.

Adults over age 50 often ignore prescription drug labels that highlight key safety information, a new study suggests. The researchers say the labels should be redesigned and placed in a more prominent place to prevent dangerous medication errors.

A growing number of murder cases nationwide seek to exclude the death penalty for defendants with fetal alcohol syndrome, The Seattle Times reports.

As e-cigarettes gain popularity, the debate over the benefits and risks of the products is likely to intensify, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Supporters of the California cigarette tax that was narrowly defeated last month are asking for a recount, the Associated Press reports.

The demand for addiction treatment is high. The supply of addiction specialists is comparatively low. Yet unlike traditional economic models where money is the obstacle, in our field, the obstacle is time explains Dr. Stuart Gitlow, member of the AMA’s Council on Science & Public Health, and Acting President of the ASAM.

States’ efforts to crack down on prescription drug abuse are being made more difficult by people who travel to states such as Florida and Georgia to obtain painkillers, the Associated Press reports.

Women who suffered physical or emotional abuse in their youth are more likely to smoke than women who did not suffer such adverse childhood experiences, a new study suggests.

Officials in Alameda County, California, approved a measure this week that would force pharmaceutical companies selling drugs in parts of the San Francisco Bay area to submit plans for safely disposing of unused medications, or incinerating them.

In one neonatal intensive care unit in Tennessee, almost half of the babies are going through withdrawal from prescription pills, ABC News reports.

Two senators introduced a bill this week designed to prevent the abuse of cough syrup by teenagers. The bill restricts the sale of products containing the cough syrup ingredient dextromethorphan to those older than 18.

A new study finds that OxyContin abuse has decreased now that the painkiller has been reformulated to make it more difficult to misuse. Many people who abused the drug have switched to heroin, the researchers report in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine.

A federal law signed by President Obama this week that bans synthetic drugs may not be effective in reducing use of the products, several experts tell NPR.

Smokers who quit gain an average of 10 to 11 pounds after one year, with most of the weight gain occurring in the first three months, a new study finds.

The rise in popularity of the painkiller Opana illustrates the challenges facing law enforcement authorities, addiction specialists and pharmaceutical companies trying to tackle prescription drug abuse, USA Today reports.

Substance abuse is a growing problem among older Americans, and the nation’s health care system is not prepared to adequately address the need, according to a report by the Institute of Medicine.