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 new study estimates prescription opioid overdose, abuse and dependence costs $78.5 billion annually in the United States.
Four percent of U.S. worker drug tests were positive last year, up slightly from the previous year, the medical screening laboratory Quest Diagnostics reports.
Two advisory panels to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week recommended removing warnings about suicide from the smoking cessation pill Chantix, according to The Wall Street Journal.
A group of black health experts is asking President Obama to direct the Food and Drug Administration to remove all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, from the marketplace.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, September 9- Thursday, September 15, 2016.
After receiving a number of calls from parents of young adults who are addicted to drugs, asking whether they can force their child into treatment against their will, the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws found it is possible to do so in 37 states—if strict guidelines are met.
Canadian doctors will now be able to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade heroin to treat severe addiction that has not responded to more conventional treatment, The Washington Post reports.
Most patients taking opioid painkillers are willing to fill a prescription for the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, a new small study suggests. Prescribing naloxone to patients taking opioid painkillers is increasingly recommended by medical guidelines, HealthDay reports.
Health insurance companies should do more to ensure parity for substance abuse and mental health treatment, members of a congressional subcommittee said at a recent hearing.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s decision earlier this month to make kratom a Schedule I drug is facing resistance from advocates who say they use the drug to cope with a variety of medical issues including post-traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism and fibromyalgia.
A new government survey finds 18.9 million people ages 12 and older—7.1 percent—misused prescription drugs such as pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants and sedatives last year.
College students in the United States are using more marijuana than in previous years, according to a new study. Last year 38 percent of college students said they used marijuana in the past year, up from 30 percent in 2006.
The rate of smoking and drinking is declining among American teens, a survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration finds.
Spending by health insurance companies increased more than 1,300 percent over four years for patients with an opioid abuse or dependence diagnosis, NPR reports.
Three Republican senators on Wednesday introduced a bill that would restrict fentanyl and another powerful opioid, carfentanil, from entering the United States.
The Chinese government’s ban on certain chemicals has led to a decrease in the synthetic drug flakka in Florida, according to Drug Enforcement Administration officials. China banned 115 chemicals in October.
A new study finds a link between teens’ exposure to alcohol ads and how much of those brands they drink.
Manchester, New Hampshire has opened the doors of its fire stations to people addicted to opioids, in an effort to address its community’s opioid crisis.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, September 2- Thursday, September 8, 2016.
A new nationwide study will follow thousands of children for 10 years, starting in elementary school, in an attempt to answer questions about the risks and protective factors for adolescent substance use on the developing brain. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study will track exposure to substances, academic achievement, cognitive skills, mental health, brain structure and function, and many other variables.
Forty-four states will receive a total of $53 million in grants from the Obama Administration to fight the opioid epidemic, the Los Angeles Times reports. Administration officials are calling on legislators to approve $1.1 billion requested by President Obama to increase addiction treatment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting a 426 percent increase in seized drugs that tested positive for fentanyl between 2013 and 2014, according to NPR. The number of deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids increased 79 percent during that period.
The Drug Enforcement Administration announced kratom, a plant-based drug with opioid-like effects, will become a Schedule I drug.
TRICARE, which provides health coverage for active duty and retired service members, their families, and survivors, will expand treatment for substance abuse and mental health care. Almost 9.4 million people are covered under the program.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that pediatricians consider offering medication-assisted treatment, such as buprenorphine, for teen and young adult patients with severe opioid use disorders, USA Today reports.
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