The Latest News from Our Field

A growing number of state legislatures are debating marijuana policy, according to the Associated Press. The discussions are being fueled by an increasingly open-minded public, as well as an enthusiastic base of voters who support legalization.

The fate of California’s $1-per-pack cigarette tax is still in limbo, despite headlines last week declaring that the tax was defeated by a slim margin, CNN reports.

Congressman Hal Rogers (KY) shares what he, his home state and the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse are doing to combat this national epidemic.

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will meet this fall to discuss whether prescription painkillers containing hydrocodone should be more tightly regulated, Bloomberg reports.

Arizona, which has one of the country’s strictest rules regarding medical marijuana sales, is beginning the complicated process of regulating medical marijuana dispensaries, according to The New York Times.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is looking to compromise with state senators who oppose his plan to decriminalize open possession of small amounts of marijuana, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Voters in California narrowly rejected a measure that would have added a $1-per-pack tax on cigarettes. Reuters reports 50.8 percent of voters were against the measure, while 49.2 percent were in favor of it.

Regulations designed to make it more difficult to abuse prescription painkillers are leading to an increase in heroin addiction, MSNBC reports.

“Bath salts” are the latest synthetic drug to gain popularity among Marines, a development that concerns health officials. The Marine Corps is already wrestling with synthetic marijuana, or Spice.

Young adults who do not define themselves as exclusively heterosexual or homosexual are more likely to misuse alcohol than their peers with a more firmly defined sexual orientation, a new study suggests.

As of Wednesday morning, the vote on the proposed $1-per-pack cigarette tax in California was too close to call, the Associated Press reports. The measure, which was popular among voters earlier this year, lost support due to a $50 million campaign funded by the tobacco industry.

Neighborhoods with medical marijuana dispensaries are no more likely than other areas to have crime, according to a new study conducted in Sacramento, California.

Three out of four terminals at Denver International Airport will soon become smoke free, according to USA Today. Currently, 27 of the 35 busiest U.S. airports ban smoking.

Surveys of American and European teenagers have found dramatic differences between the two groups’ substance use. While American teens smoke and drink less than their European peers, they are more likely to use illegal drugs.

Whether volunteers or staff, the role of a Peer Recovery Coach is a legitimate and important one within the continuum of care, says IC&RC's Executive Director.

Treating teenagers for major depression can reduce the odds they will develop a drug use disorder, a new study suggests.

Coors Light and other alcohol brands are testing an age-checking tool on Twitter, Ad Age reports.

A measure on the Colorado ballot in November about marijuana legalization could have an effect on the presidential election, the Associated Press reports.

A new study challenges the widely held belief that men find it easier than women to quit smoking.

A recent bizarre incident in Miami, in which a man stripped naked and ate the face of another man, while allegedly high on “bath salts,” has renewed calls for banning synthetic drugs. U.S. News & World Report notes that both the House and Senate have passed bills banning the drugs, but so far have not been able to pass an identical bill.

Costs related to narcotic painkillers are growing for workplace insurers, which are currently spending an estimated $1.4 billion on the drugs, The New York Times reports.

Penalties for college athletes who test positive for marijuana differ between the Southeastern Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Associated Press reports.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will ask the state legislature on Monday to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in public view, according to The New York Times.

Twelve-step programs can be extremely helpful for teens who are struggling with addiction or who are on the road to becoming addicted, but they are more useful if they are adapted to the particular needs of adolescents, according to an expert on teenage addiction.

Two emergency medicine experts have proposed what they call “ideal” prescription drug monitoring software, in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine.