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.
Join Together recently spoke with R. Jeffrey Goldsmith, MD, DLFAPA, FASAM, President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, about Obamacare and the state of addiction treatment.
A new report finds the rate of prescription painkiller use among American teenagers is declining. The 2015 Monitoring the Future survey finds the rate of teen use of cigarettes, alcohol and synthetic marijuana is also decreasing, The New York Times reports.
Managers in states where marijuana is legal are toughening up their drug policies, according to a new survey. Many employers in these states say they will not hire employees who smoke marijuana on their own time, Bloomberg Business reports.
A new survey that finds 80 percent of Indiana employers are impacted by prescription drug misuse and abuse has national implications, CNBC reports.
More needle exchange programs are needed for people who inject drugs in rural and suburban areas, according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Addiction rates are rising in non-urban areas.
More than 47,000 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2014, an increase of 7 percent from the previous year, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released draft guidelines for physicians who prescribe opioid painkillers, which call for a more conservative approach to the drugs’ use.
A new study of Medicare data finds primary care physicians prescribe significantly more opioid painkillers than any other type of doctor.
The number of teens and young adults who drive under the influence of alcohol or a combination of alcohol and marijuana is declining, a new study finds.
This week Cleveland joined the list of more than 100 U.S. cities that have raised the legal age for purchasing tobacco products to 21. Other cities on the list include New York and Kansas City. Hawaii raised the legal smoking age to 21 this summer.
About 100 jails and prisons nationwide are providing departing inmates with Vivitrol, a drug that treats opioid addiction, to reduce rates of addiction and reincarceration, The Boston Globe reports.
Teens who see others drink or use drugs are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior on that same day, a new study suggests. The risk is greatest for young teens who have a “risk-taking” gene linked with sensitivity to substance use exposure.
An increasing number of tourists are deciding to visit Colorado because of the state’s law allowing recreational marijuana, according to a study commissioned by the state’s tourism office.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, December 4- Thursday, December 10, 2015.
Contrary to common stereotypes, some people who drink excessively can learn to reduce their drinking without giving up alcohol altogether, according to the Director of Addiction Services at North Shore-LIJ Health System.
The number of U.S. children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is on the rise, with the largest increase seen in girls and Hispanic children, according to a new study.
A treatment that uses targeted magnetic pulses to the brain may reduce craving and substance use in people addicted to cocaine, a small study suggests.
Several new studies on children with severe epilepsy who have been treated with the marijuana extract cannabidiol suggest some may be helped by the drug, NPR reports.
The vast majority of overdose deaths in Massachusetts in the first six months of 2014 were caused by heroin or a prescription opioid taken along with some other drug or alcohol, according to NPR.
An approach to dealing with addiction that engages families is gaining ground, The Boston Globe reports. Through Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT), family members motivate loved ones to seek help for addiction.
A growing number of Americans are seeking treatment for addiction to heroin and prescription painkillers, while alcohol-related treatment admissions are declining, according to a new report.
An analysis of news coverage of opioid abuse finds the media is more likely to focus on criminal justice than on health issues. The study found 64 percent of news stories about opioids mentioned law enforcement, compared with 41 percent that mentioned prevention, and 3 percent that mentioned expanding treatment.
In the last five years there have been 110 cases of babies and toddlers, whose mothers used opioids during pregnancy, and later died preventable deaths, according to Reuters.
A growing number of the elderly are becoming addicted to prescription painkillers, experts tell U.S. News & World Report. Caretakers and doctors often fail to spot the signs of addiction in older patients.
A new study suggests smoking high-potency marijuana may cause damage to nerve fibers responsible for communication between the brain’s two hemispheres.
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