The Latest News from Our Field

A new poll finds 49 percent of Americans say heroin use is a very serious national problem, while an additional 38 percent say it is a somewhat serious problem.

A new study finds U.S. attorneys have higher rates of alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety than other highly educated professionals. More than one-fifth of licensed, employed attorneys consume alcohol at levels consistent with problem drinking, compared with 12 percent of other professionals.

A number of researchers and advocates are calling attention to the language of addiction, and the need for using medical terms free of judgment, The Boston Globe reports.

The Obama Administration has been too slow in granting the Food and Drug Administration regulatory authority over e-cigarettes, according to the American Lung Association.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, January 29- Thursday, February 4, 2016.

With the opioid epidemic on the front page of many media reports, the public may think that the use of methamphetamine (meth) has dissipated. However, while taking a backseat to the prescription drug and heroin crisis, the abuse of meth continues to plague our nation.

President Obama is asking for more than $1 billion in new funding to address the opioid epidemic, USA Today reports. The funding would expand access to treatment for prescription drug abuse and heroin use.

The rate of mental disorders among smokers is increasing, a new study concludes. More recent smokers have the highest risk, HealthDay reports.

The World Health Organization says movies that contain smoking scenes or tobacco imagery should receive an adult rating, in an effort to prevent young people from starting to smoke.

Although synthetic marijuana is illegal under federal law, the National Football League has not added the drug to its list of banned substances, USA Today reports.

The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act will “make a real difference for families and communities” struggling with drug addiction, U.S. Senator Rob Portman of Ohio said Saturday. He spoke about the bill, which has bipartisan support, in the Republican Weekly Address.

Family members of people who have died from opioid painkiller overdoses are calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to publish guidelines designed to reduce prescriptions of the drugs, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Sales of legal marijuana jumped 17 percent to reach $5.4 billion last year, according to a new report. Sales could grow 25 percent this year, to $6.7 billion, according to the marijuana industry investment and research firm ArcView Market Research.

Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia have seen a large increase in hepatitis B that is related to injection drug use in the region, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More funding and stronger measures are needed to fight opioid addiction, officials said Wednesday at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee. They called for greater access to addiction treatment and more stringent rules for painkiller prescribing.

Systematic efforts may help lower the level of opioids that patients use, a new study concludes. These steps include educating prescribers and limiting doses for patients prescribed chronic opioid therapy.

Drug traffickers are moving to Colorado to grow marijuana and ship it to other states, the Associated Press reports. Their findings come from interviews with law enforcement officials and a review of court records.

Mailing free nicotine replacement patches to smokers who are interested in giving up cigarettes can help some of them quit, a new study finds.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, January 22- Thursday, January 28, 2016.

A new study finds marijuana use in the first year of college can lead to students missing classes. The more frequently a student uses marijuana, the more they tend to skip class, earn lower grades, and graduate later.

Using opioid painkillers for more than one month may increase the risk of depression, a new study suggests. People who take opioids and feel depressed should be aware that the drugs, and not just the pain, may be a potential cause, the researchers say.

All adults should be screened for depression, according to a panel appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services. If initial screening tests indicate an increased risk of depression, health care providers are advised to conduct assessments to look for substance abuse or other medical conditions.

There were almost 45,000 arrests on college campuses in 2014 for drug- and alcohol-related offenses, according to a new report. There were also more than 250,000 disciplinary actions on campuses related to drugs and alcohol, according to U.S. News & World Report.

A new study suggests teens who try e-cigarettes are much more likely than their peers who don’t use the devices to try regular cigarettes.

The opioid overdose antidote naloxone is being offered free to high schools around the country by the drugmaker Adapt Pharma, according to U.S. News & World Report.