We curate a digest of the latest news in our field for advocates, policymakers, community coalitions and all who work toward shaping policies and practices to effectively prevent substance use and treat addiction.
A judge has ruled that tobacco companies do not have to put graphic warning labels on cigarette packages to show the dangers of smoking, the Associated Press reports.
A new study finds widespread substance abuse among Native American, mixed-race and white teenagers.
The role of electronic cigarettes in helping people quit smoking is stirring debate, according to The New York Times.
Advocates for medical marijuana dispensaries have filed lawsuits in California to try to win court orders that would stop U.S. attorneys from closing them down.
An estimated 188.5 tons of unwanted or expired prescription medications were collected around the country on the third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on October 29, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced.
Recent veterans enrolled in college are more likely than their peers, who are not veterans, to use tobacco products, binge drink and engage in other risky behaviors, a new study suggests.
Drinking alcohol can trigger an allergic reaction or worsen existing allergies, according to the Past President of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, who spoke yesterday at the group’s annual meeting.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has five commando-style squads that it has been using for the past several years to battle drug cartels in nations including Honduras, Haiti, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, The New York Times reports.
For every person who died of a prescription painkiller overdose in 1999, nearly four died in 2008. We are in the midst of an epidemic, says Grant Baldwin of the CDC.
Nicotine appears to be a “gateway” drug that primes the brain to be susceptible to cocaine, according to a new study in mice.
A growing number of people are ending up in the emergency room after abusing the muscle relaxant carisoprodol. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says the number of such ER visits doubled, from 15,830 in 2004 to 31,763 in 2009.
The Senate has approved an appropriation of $5 million for research into alcohol-detection devices called interlocks, which prevent drivers under the influence of alcohol from driving.
A petition drive in Kern County, California, seeks to challenge a recent law that would close down medical marijuana clinics in the area.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will spend about $600 million over five years on a campaign to educate the public about the dangers of tobacco, the Associated Press reports.
Women who have three to six alcoholic drinks a week are at slightly increased risk of developing breast cancer compared with women who don’t drink at all, a new study has found.
Teenagers in Rhode Island did not use more marijuana after the state implemented its medical marijuana law in 2006, according to a new study.
Two congressmen have asked Major League Baseball and the players union to test for human growth hormone and to ban chewing tobacco. They made their requests a month before the players union contract is set to expire.
The number of Americans who died from overdoses of prescription painkillers more than tripled in the past decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More people now die from painkillers than from heroin and cocaine combined.
Methamphetamine is increasingly being made in the United States in small labs that are easy to move and hide, The Wall Street Journal reports.
More than 1,800 prisoners are eligible for immediate release under new sentencing rules for drug crimes. The rules aim to reduce the disparity between sentences for crimes involving crack cocaine and those involving the drug in powdered form.
A Kentucky cancer center is advising smokers to switch to smokeless tobacco. Its “Switch and Quit” campaign is creating controversy in the state and beyond.
Images can be especially effective tools when they are harnessed to change social norms and prevent youth from never starting to smoke, explains Eric Asche, Chief Marketing Officer of Legacy®.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says doctors should routinely screen their teenage patients for drug and alcohol use at every visit, and look for signs of dependence or addiction.
A growing body of research indicates even moderate drinking can increase a person’s risk of cancer, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The White House turned down a petition with 75,000 signatures that asked for marijuana to be legalized and regulated in a manner similar to alcohol.
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