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Helpline
Helpline
Call 1.855.378.4373 to schedule a call time with a specialist

The Latest News from Our Field

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.

Programs in the United States and the United Kingdom are tapping teens to take anti-smoking messages to their peers.
A New Zealand study found removing enticing logos and colors from cigarette packages significantly reduced their appeal among teens.
Hazelden has launched a newly enhanced Sober24, the online social media site that helps people throughout the world maintain their recovery from addiction and compulsive behaviors.
A new study found buphrenorphine implants safely reduce cravings and illegal drug use in opioid-dependent people.
National efforts to curb substance abuse in Canada are seeing a return on investment, according to a recent report.

Therapeutic courts tailored for veterans of the armed forces are now in 29 states. Veterans treatment courts are designed to link participants with treatment for substance use and mental health issues, rather than simply repeatedly jailing them for their offenses.

Although a new study suggests pregnant women who drink lightly do no harm to their babies, this outcome may have nothing to do with alcohol, experts say.

In a 12-1 vote, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Vivitrol to treat addiction to opiates like heroin and prescription painkillers.
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official investigating the use of menthol in cigarettes expressed dissatisfaction with the responses from tobacco companies.
The Partnership at DrugFree.org, formerly known as The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, has a new celebrity spokesperson in actress Melissa Gilbert.
More than 80 percent of alcohol problems that occur following disasters are among people with a pre-existing or ongoing drinking problem.
Litigation against tobacco companies for cancer and other illnesses is rife in Florida, even as it declines elsewhere in the country.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) seeks public feedback by Oct. 22 on its plan to focus on eight strategic initiatives.


Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove dissolvable tobacco products from test markets.
Women who consume up to one drink per day reduce their risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) by 36 percent, according to a new study. Conversely, those who consume more than two drinks per day have a 15 percent increased risk of SCD.
Eastern European teenagers, particularly girls, are closing the drinking gap with their Western European and American counterparts.
One-quarter of American teens and young adults engage in binge drinking, new statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicate.
The Canadian health ministry has suspended a plan to upgrade graphic health warnings on cigarette packages and health advocates blame the tobacco industry.
Opponents of a proposed union between the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the smaller National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) worry, in part, that combining these two National Institutes on Health (NIH) agencies as part of a new single national addictions institute could result in a lack of focus or funding for alcohol research. However, at least one researcher says the plan could actually result in more funding for alcohol-addiction research.
The U.S. Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has ruled that tobacco retailers may not sell cartons of cheap cigarettes rolled on premises without paying appropriate taxes and adhering to manufacturing regulations.
Calif. governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that changes the charge for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction.
Alcohol makers worldwide don’t want Thailand to set a precedent by requiring large, graphic warning labels on all wine, beer, and liquor sold there.
Tobacco-control experts are calling on the scientific community to make nicotine reduction their number-one research target for reducing smoking-related disease and death.
The Navy has signed a five-year contract with Hazelden to provide online recovery support services for sailors.
Michigan has outlawed synthetic marijuana, also known as "spice" and "K2."