The Latest News from Our Field

A study of workplace drug-screening tests finds methamphetamine use is higher among workers in Western states.

Children who live with smokers miss more school days due to illnesses including ear infections and chest colds compared with those who live in smoke-free homes, a new study suggests.

The number of narcotic-related emergency room visits in New York City jumped 40 percent between 2004 and 2009, according to a survey by the city’s Department of Health.

While many states are being forced to pull back on methamphetamine lab cleanups because of federal funding cuts, Indiana has been able to buck the trend. The state has increased the number of meth labs it has found and destroyed by 33 percent in the first half of this year compared with 2008.

Mandated drug testing for convicted criminals in Pennsylvania generally does not include the newly banned “bath salts,” WNEP-TV reports. A state law banning the synthetic drugs went into effect in this week.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a new law this week that will suspend school bus driver permits for three years for those who refuse to submit to a drug or alcohol test. The law also suspends permits for drivers who submit to a test that shows the presence of drugs or alcohol in their system.

From "pharming" to pill parties, teens are abusing prescription drugs in dangerous ways, and can become addicted quickly, warns an adolescent substance abuse specialist at Children’s Hospital Boston.

Four states—Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia—have created the Interstate Prescription Drug Task Force to fight the region’s prescription drug abuse problem.

A Michigan appeals court ruled Wednesday that medical marijuana cannot be sold in private shops or dispensaries. The Associated Press calls the ruling a major decision.

A U.S. judge said he will hear the tobacco industry’s request for a preliminary injunction on the Food and Drug Administration’s requirement that cigarette packages carry graphic warning labels on September 21.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie this week signed legislation that bans sale of synthetic drugs such as “bath salts.”

Smokers with drug, alcohol or mental disorders are five times as likely to quit smoking if they receive counseling from their primary care physician, a new study finds.

Women prescribed the drug tamoxifen to reduce their risk of breast cancer are less likely to continue taking the drug if they smoke and drink, according to a new nationwide study.

A new survey suggests teens who spend time on Facebook and other social networking sites are at greater risk of substance abuse compared with teens who don’t visit the sites.

A growing number of young adults in California are using hookahs, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have found.

Prescription drug overdoses claimed the lives of 16,650 Floridians from 2003 to 2009 -- an average of eight deaths a day. It’s been a devastating problem, spread by the silence and misunderstanding over addiction and by the underworld “pill mill” economy, explains Karen H. Perry, Executive Director of NOPE Task Force.

An Alabama lawmaker says he will introduce a bill that would require drug testing for welfare recipients who have a felony or drug conviction.

A synthetic drug manufacturer has already created a product that skirts a new Pennsylvania law banning “bath salts,” synthetic marijuana and salvia.

The Minnesota Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case involving the accuracy of a device that measures blood-alcohol levels in people who have been accused of driving under the influence.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse plans to match up teenagers and scientific experts to discuss facts about drug abuse in events across the country during National Drug Facts Week, October 31 through November 6.

Federal regulators have been putting off the decision about whether to put tighter controls on the painkiller hydrocodone for many years, according to the Associated Press.

Men are more likely than women to develop substance use disorders, while women are more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and depression, a new study finds.

Trying to convince college students not to drink by emphasizing the downside of excessive drinking is ineffective, say researchers who recently presented their findings at the American Psychological Association Annual Meeting.

A new smartphone application estimates a person’s blood-alcohol concentration. The app is designed to help a person decide if they should avoid driving because they’ve had too much to drink.

As we prepare to send kids back to classrooms for another school year, it’s important to equip parents and caregivers with the tools for talking with kids about alcohol.