The Latest News from Our Field

The U.S. military is limiting the use of certain antipsychotic drugs such as Seroquel for treatment of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). These drugs, used to treat severe mental illness, are sometimes prescribed in lower doses to relieve symptoms of PTSD and anxiety. When they are mixed with other prescriptions, however, they can be dangerous and even deadly.

A proposed revision to the definition of addiction by mental health specialists could lead to millions of additional people receiving an addiction diagnosis, The New York Times reports. The changes could lead to big consequences for both health insurers and taxpayers, according to the newspaper.

The tobacco industry is funding ads opposing California’s proposed tax on cigarettes to raise money for cancer research.

Stolen or fabricated prescription pads are contributing to the surge in prescription drug abuse, experts say. There is a growing call for computer systems that directly link doctors to pharmacies, to avoid this problem.

Three U.S. senators have introduced legislation that would close loopholes in the tax code that allow tobacco manufacturers to avoid the federal cigarette tax and the roll-your-own tobacco tax.

Doctors caring for pregnant women addicted to opioids may face a difficult choice—should they treat with methadone or buprenorphine? Physicians must consider the individual circumstances of the mother, says Karol Kaltenbach, PhD, Director of Maternal Addiction Treatment Education and Research at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

A new government study finds 22 percent of white women have smoked cigarettes during their pregnancy, ABC News reports. In contrast, 14 percent of black women, and 6.5 percent of Hispanic women, have done so.

Attorneys general from 37 states have sent letters to 10 movie studio executives, asking them to stop showing smoking and tobacco in movies that are aimed at young audiences. They say these scenes encourage young people to smoke.

A new study finds parents greatly underestimate their children’s exposure to secondhand smoke. While 13 percent of parents said their children were recently exposed to cigarette smoke, blood tests showed the rate was 55 percent.

A Medicaid provider in Kentucky has announced it will stop paying for the opioid addiction medication buprenorphine. A doctor who prescribes the medication says the company’s decision could lead to serious complications, relapse and even overdose deaths.

Use of drugs, particularly cocaine and methamphetamine, is on the decline in the United States, according to U.S. National Drug Control Policy Director R. Gil Kerlikowske. He spoke this week at the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission.

Mexican authorities have shut down a record number of industrial methamphetamine labs in recent months, Reuters reports. U.S. drug agents fear Mexico’s growing meth production will result in a sudden surge in supply in this country.

The parents of teenagers’ friends can have as much effect on teens’ decisions about substance use as their own parents, a new study suggests.

After receiving warning letters from the federal government, 25 medical marijuana dispensaries in Colorado that were located near schools have shut down. The letters from Colorado U.S. Attorney John Walsh said they must close, or potentially face criminal prosecution.

The Senate Finance Committee announced they have opened an inquiry that will look at financial ties between prescription painkiller manufacturers and pain experts, patient advocacy groups and bodies that set guidelines on physicians’ use of the medications.

Using Facebook and other social networking sites can negatively affect teenagers’ treatment for substance use disorders, a new study suggests.

Ohio Governor John Kasich has announced new guidelines to fight prescription drug abuse, which aim to restrict painkiller prescriptions written in hospital emergency rooms.

A Massachusetts law passed in 2006 that expanded insurance coverage did not lead to an increase in the number of state residents who received inpatient treatment for drug and alcohol abuse at state-contracted facilities, according to a new study.

Women physicians with substance abuse problems differ in some significant ways from their male counterparts, according to the medical director of Virginia’s Health Practitioners’ Monitoring Program. Yet little research has been done about the best ways to treat these women, she says.

A new type of “bath salts” called “Amped” is being used in Virginia, poison control officials there report. The drug, sold as a ladybug attractant, is likely also being used in other parts of the country, according to ABC News.

Minors are often able to buy alcohol online, because many Internet alcohol sellers and shipping companies do not verify the buyer’s age, a new study suggests.

A new study finds 13 percent of high school seniors have used prescription opioids for non-medical reasons. Overall, nearly one in every four high school seniors in the United States has had some exposure to prescription painkillers, either for medical or non-medical reasons.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state’s largest health insurer, is instituting a policy to reduce prescription drug abuse, by limiting the amount of pain medicine most patients can get without prior approval from the company.

Acupuncture and hypnosis can be effective in helping some smokers quit, according to a review of 14 studies. These approaches may be useful for smokers who can’t quit using standard approaches such as nicotine replacement therapy, medications and behavioral counseling, Reuters reports.

Marijuana cultivators are taking advantage of depressed real estate markets to buy or rent homes, and turn them into “grow houses.” The Drug Enforcement Administration says an increasing number of these houses are in high-end neighborhoods.