The Latest News from Our Field

An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration recommended Tuesday that the agency approve the buprenorphine implant Probuphine as a treatment for opioid addiction.

Only 10 percent of Medicaid patients who smoke receive smoking cessation medication, according to a new study. One-third of Medicaid patients smoke, compared with 17 percent of the general population.

Teens are likely to try alcohol before they try either tobacco or marijuana, a new study concludes. The findings come from a study of 2,835 U.S. high school seniors, The Washington Post reports.

Researchers have identified more than 400 diseases that can co-occur in people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The findings reinforce that alcohol can affect any organ or system in the developing fetus, the researchers note.

Economic downturns can lead to greater rates of drinking even among people who hold onto their jobs, a new study suggests. Previous research has shown people who lose their jobs during a recession are more likely to drink.

Billionaire Sean Parker, the former president of Facebook, has donated $500,000 to promote an initiative to legalize recreational marijuana for adults in California, Forbes reports.

Medicaid would cover 15 days of inpatient addiction treatment per month under a new proposed plan by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which runs the program.

A new study finds 90 percent of people who overdose on prescription opioids continue to receive prescriptions for the drugs.

Two U.S. senators are asking the federal government to address the growing problem of drug-dependent newborns, Reuters reports. They say thousands of infants are born each year to mothers who used opioids during pregnancy.

Seven in 10 teens are exposed to e-cigarette ads, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Teens see the ads on TV, in print, online and at retail outlets.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, December 18, 2015- Thursday, January 7, 2016.

Novel psychoactive substances, also known as synthetic drugs, are notoriously difficult to legislate. It seems that as soon as a substance is scheduled as a controlled substance under state or federal law, the formula is changed and a new variety appears on the market that is technically legal, explains Heather Gray, Legislative Director of National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention face stiff opposition to its effort to reduce prescribing of opioid painkillers, the Associated Press reports. Critics of new prescribing guidelines include drug manufacturers, industry-funded groups and some public health officials.

Synthetic marijuana, once sold mostly online and in convenience stores, is now largely a street drug, according to PBS NewsHour. People who use the drug tend to be poor, urban and homeless, experts say.

While marijuana, both recreational and medical, is legal in a growing number of states, some states remain unlikely to legalize the drug any time soon, according to USA Today. These include states in the South, West and Midwest.

Massachusetts State Police report eight people have died in one week from a deadly strain of heroin known as “Hollywood” heroin. Officials say they are not sure how long the strain has been in the state.

The drug kratom is being used by some people as an alternative to heroin and other illegal drugs even though it, too, can be addictive, The New York Times reports. Kratom is increasingly popular and easily available.

A survey of high school students finds 77 percent of those who use heroin say they also have used opioid painkillers for non-medical purposes.

More than 47,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2014, setting a new record, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug overdoses increased 6.5 percent from 2013.

The rate of alcohol-induced deaths has increased 37 percent since 2002, reaching 30,700 U.S. deaths in 2014, The Washington Post reports.

Teens who misuse prescription medications are more likely to have sex and engage in risky sexual behavior, a new study concludes.

An increasing number of children age 2 or younger are being prescribed psychiatric drugs to address their violent or withdrawn behavior, The New York Times reports. Experts say there is no published research on the drugs’ effectiveness and potential health risks for this age group.

Law enforcement officers working on tribal lands in Oklahoma will begin to carry the opioid overdose antidote naloxone next year, Reuters reports. The program eventually will go nationwide, according to officials at the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The federal government this week advised the Supreme Court to avoid weighing in on a lawsuit brought by Nebraska and Oklahoma over Colorado’s system of legalized recreational marijuana, according to USA Today.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, December 11- Thursday, December 17, 2015.