The Latest News from Our Field

As part of the new government plan to reduce prescription drug abuse, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is asking manufacturers of prescription painkillers to create materials for consumers about how to safely use and dispose of opioids.

Drinking too much alcohol appears to interfere with a surgeon’s skills even into the next day, according to a study that used a virtual reality simulator to test the theory.

Two Illinois state senators are encouraging their colleagues to pass two bills that would ban synthetic drugs known as bath salts, K2 and spice. The bills have already passed in the Illinois House.

Prescription drug abuse is a growing national epidemic. In a recent presentation, Dr. Leonard Paulozzi of the CDC reported that the number of unintentional overdose deaths per year involving opioid pain relievers nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2007, rising from 2,900 to 11,500.

Calling the new fruity alcoholic drink Blast by Colt 45 “binge-in-a-can,” 17 attorneys general are asking the drink’s maker, Pabst Brewing Co., to stop marketing the beverage to underage drinkers and to significantly reduce the number of servings of alcohol in each can.

Every state could have a smoking ban in restaurants, bars and workplaces by 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted this week.

The Pharmacy Board in Washington state has filed emergency rules that would ban the sale and manufacture of bath salts, which are being used as substitutes for cocaine and methamphetamine.

As a growing number of states increase tobacco taxes to raise revenues, violent gangs and drug traffickers are moving into the cigarette smuggling business, USA Today reports.

Fatal overdoses of prescription drugs are having a devastating effect in Ohio, The New York Times reports. In the last decade, fatal overdoses have more than quadrupled and are now more common than car crashes as a cause of accidental death in the state.

The Texas Senate this week passed a bill that would give immunity to underage drinkers who are seeking medical help in an emergency. The bill’s sponsor said it is aimed at minors who are afraid to seek help because they do not want to be charged with underage drinking.

Kidney cancer is both more common and aggressive in smokers compared with nonsmokers, a new study finds. Reuters reports that more than one in four smokers who underwent surgery for kidney cancer had advanced disease, compared with one in five nonsmokers.

Children whose parents have an alcohol use disorder are at increased risk of developing the disorder themselves, a new study finds. The risk appears to be greater for girls than boys.

A new government strategy aims to cut the use of prescription painkillers by 15 percent in five years. The plan includes doctor training, promoting prescription databases in all states and increased focus on rooting out illegal ‘pill mill’ clinics.

Veterans with mental illness often also struggle with substance use disorders, according to a study of records from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Tobacco smoke toxins that linger on surfaces, called ‘thirdhand’ smoke, may pose a danger to developing babies’ lungs, according to researchers at Harbor UCLA Medical Center.

In 2011, the International Network on Brief Interventions for Alcohol Problems (INEBRIA) will hold its annual conference in the U.S. for the first time. Abstract, workshop and symposium submissions are due Monday, May 30th.

A new study showing marked increases in teen use of marijuana and Ecstasy over the past three years underscores the importance of incorporating screening and prevention programs into all health care interactions with adolescents and their parents.

Rapper Snoop Dogg is promoting the new fruit-flavored alcoholic drink, Blast by Colt 45, The New York Times reports.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has created a new program, known as the Addiction Performance Project, to help primary care providers break down the stigma of addiction.

Patients with alcohol use disorders who develop an infection while in the hospital are more likely to die from the infection, than patients without an alcohol disorder, a new study finds.

Legislation proposed by the Australian government would make it the first country to require plain packaging for cigarettes, outlawing all colors, logos and promotional text.

Sign up for CADCA’s 2011 Mid-Year Training Institute in Anaheim, CA on July 24-28.

Colleges can now officially be certified “smoke-free” by a health-education organization, The New York Times reports.

A new study finds that consuming a caffeine-infused energy drink combined with alcohol is more dangerous than drinking alcohol alone.

A government-sanctioned facility in Canada that medically supervises the injection of illegal drugs has reduced fatal overdoses, according to a new study.