The Latest News from Our Field

A new study adds to the growing body of research indicating that nonmedical use of prescription stimulants for students without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder likely provides no academic benefits.

A new study finds ignition interlocks, devices that prevent a person from starting a car if their blood alcohol level is too high, prevents deadly accidents.

The percentage of Americans who view e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking tobacco is dropping, a new study suggests. Researchers found 43 percent of those surveyed in 2014 said they thought e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes, compared with half of those surveyed in 2012.

The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration is visiting China this week to discuss combating sales of synthetic drugs, including fentanyl, CNN reports. Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg will also discuss new psychoactive substances and money-laundering activities when he meets with Chinese officials.

Setting new household rules for teens in treatment for a substance use disorder can be challenging for parents. But it is important because research shows that teens do take their parents’ attitudes, opinions and beliefs into account when they make choices about substance use, says Christopher Hammond, MD, of Johns Hopkins Hospital.

A new survey finds more than half of U.S. doctors are reducing the number of opioid prescriptions they write. Almost 10 percent have stopped prescribing opioids altogether, The Boston Globe reports.

A growing number of people are dying from cocaine-related overdoses because they are mixing the drug with opioids such as heroin and fentanyl, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The Food and Drug Administration will hold a workshop in April to consider the hazards of exploding batteries in e-cigarettes, HealthDay reports.

Fewer Americans said they drove under the influence of alcohol in 2014 compared with 2002, according to a new government report.

Teen use of marijuana rose in Washington state after the drug was legalized for adults 21 and older, a new study finds. In Colorado, legalization had no impact on marijuana use by teens, CBS News reports.

In the past year, federal and state policymakers have taken a number of steps to combat synthetic drugs, also known as “novel psychoactive substances,” according to Jonathan Woodruff, Senior Legislative Attorney at the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws.

Heroin was the drug most often involved in overdose deaths between 2010 and 2014, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other drugs commonly involved in overdoses included oxycodone, methadone, morphine, morphine, hydrocodone, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium).

Drug deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids rose 72 percent from 2014 to 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

Hospital admissions due to overdoses from heroin and other opioids increased 64 percent between 2005 and 2014, HealthDay reports.

A new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics concludes the earlier teens start using any product with nicotine, including e-cigarettes, the stronger their addiction will be and the harder it will be for them to quit, HealthDay reports.

An app that alerts people carrying the opioid overdose antidote naloxone to someone nearby who has overdosed is the winner of a competition created by the Food and Drug Administration.

All patients on long-term opioid treatment should be co-prescribed the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, even if they are not considered to be at high risk of an opioid overdose, according to the director of the University of New Mexico Pain Center.

American teens’ use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco has declined to the lowest rate since the 1990s, according to an annual nationwide study.

Overdose deaths associated with prescription and illicit opioids increased to 33,091 last year, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number marks an increase of almost 5,000 deaths from the previous year, The Washington Post reports.

President Obama this week signed into law the 21st Century Cures Act, which includes $1 billion in new funding to prevent and treat opioid addiction. The Senate approved the measure last week.

Many teens who smoke also use alcohol, marijuana and other tobacco products, a new study finds. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego studied 176 teen smokers and found 96 percent said they used at least two other substances besides cigarettes, HealthDay reports.

President-Elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to solve the nation’s opioid crisis, faces significant hurdles in achieving that campaign promise, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which includes $1 billion in new funding to prevent and treat opioid addiction. The House approved the measure last week.

With the holiday season upon us, many of us look forward to get-togethers with friends and family, and work celebrations with colleagues. For someone in early recovery, it can be an especially stressful time, explains Erin Goodhart, Director of Women’s Services at Caron Treatment Centers.

The Drug Enforcement Administration this week warned the nation’s opioid epidemic has been exacerbated by the reemergence of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.