The Latest News from Our Field

The Supreme Court will hear two cases involving people who committed cocaine-related crimes before the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 took effect, but who were not sentenced until afterwards. The Fair Sentencing Act reduced the disparity of sentences between people who sell crack cocaine and those who sell the powder form of the drug.

A man who was on the liver transplant list at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles has been removed because he was using medical marijuana and did not show up for a drug test.

College administrators say they are concerned about an increase in prescription stimulant abuse among students, The Washington Post reports.

The American Medical Association’s policy-making body has called on the organization to promote doctor training on the correct use of controlled substances, in an effort to reduce prescription drug abuse.

Rappers are increasingly promoting alcoholic drinks in which they have financial stakes, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A new labor deal between Major League Baseball and the players union limits the use of smokeless tobacco by players, but does not ban it during games.

Interest is growing in Good Samaritan laws aimed at saving lives by encouraging people who witness drug overdoses to call 911. But much is not yet known about the laws’ impact on drug users, bystanders, paramedics and police.

A study of twins suggests genetics may play a role in smoking, and in people’s ability to quit.

Chemical changes caused by cocaine may be passed on to the next generation, a new study of rats suggests. The changes cause male offspring to find the drug less rewarding.

Attorneys General in 35 states and the San Francisco City Attorney have asked the Federal Trade Commission to limit the amount of alcohol sold in a single-serving can. The move is aimed at reducing the amount of alcohol in Four Loko, the Des Moines Register reports.

California’s prescription drug monitoring database may become useless if proposed budget cuts go through, according to the Associated Press.

President Obama criticized tobacco companies for opposing new cigarette warning labels in a video that marks the American Cancer Society’s 36th annual “Great American Smokeout” on Thursday.

While alcohol consumption is on the rise in the United States, drinking preferences vary by region of the country, according to USA Today.

A growing number of employers are requiring workers who smoke to pay more for their health care costs, The New York Times reports.

The number of people in Maryland who are receiving substance abuse treatment through Medicaid has more than doubled in less than three years.

Women who became adults when 18 was the legal drinking age in the United States are at higher long-term risk for homicide and suicide, than women who grew up after the legal drinking age became 21, a new study finds.

A judge has extended a ban on a mandatory drug-testing program for students at a technical college in Missouri until at least February.

California’s Secretary of State announced the proponent, of an initiative that would limit punishment to a $250 fine for possession, cultivation, sale or transportation of up to two ounces of marijuana, can begin collecting signatures to try to get it on the 2012 ballot.

A measure under consideration in the Massachusetts State Senate would allow bars in the state to once again offer happy hours, for the first time since 1984.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that as many as 1 in 4 children younger than age 18 is exposed to family alcohol abuse or dependence. These children are more likely to develop depression or anxiety disorders in adolescence, use alcohol or other drugs early and become tomorrow’s addicted youth, explains NACoA's Sis Wegner.

The number of newborn babies exposed to prescription painkillers is on the rise, USA Today reports.

A new study suggests that teenage girls and young women with a family history of breast cancer should steer clear of alcohol. The study found those who had a drink a day on average were more than twice as likely as those who didn’t drink to develop benign breast disease, a risk factor for breast cancer.

OxyContin is being smuggled into the United States from Canada, because the Canadian version of the drug is easier to abuse, according to The Globe and Mail.

Children with high IQs are more likely to use drugs when they become adults, compared with children who score lower on intelligence tests, a new study indicates.

Some pain experts say doctors not adequately educated about opioids are contributing to the problem of prescription drug abuse by overprescribing the drugs.