The Latest News from Our Field

Women’s drinking habits are starting to catch up to men’s, according to a new study from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. While men still drink more, a growing number of women are drinking, and drinking more frequently.

China has banned the sale of more than 100 synthetic drugs, the Miami Herald reports. One of the drugs is flakka, a highly addictive synthetic drug that has hit Florida hard and has been spreading to other states.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, November 20- Thursday, December 3, 2015.

Not all Hispanic groups are equal when it comes to drinking and alcohol-related problems, according to an expert who has been studying the issue for many years.

Increasing cigarette taxes may contribute to a drop in the infant death rate, a new study suggests. The higher price of cigarettes may discourage more women from smoking during and after pregnancy, the researchers report in Pediatrics.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declined to approve a new drug application for a second nasal spray version of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, Medscape reports. The FDA approved a nasal spray version of naloxone last month.

A new study finds children who take stimulants to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are more likely to be bullied at school than their peers who do not have attention disorders. Those who have ever shared their prescriptions are at highest risk of bullying, Time reports.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse will award $100,000 to researchers who develop apps for addiction research, according to Fortune. The apps must be built using Apple’s medical research framework.

Youth drug overdose deaths increased sharply in 35 states over the past decade, according to a new report. The overdose death rate more than quadrupled in Kansas, Montana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

A new poll finds that 56 percent of Americans say they or someone they know has abused, been addicted to or died from prescription painkillers. Almost half say they personally know someone who has taken a prescription painkiller that was not prescribed to them.

Adults ages 50 and older are the largest group seeking treatment for addiction to opioid painkillers and heroin in New York City, according to a new study. People ages 50 to 59 accounted for almost 36 percent of opioid treatment patients in 2012.

Mixing alcohol and diet soda can lead to increased breath alcohol concentration, suggests a new study.

An estimated 10 percent of Americans have had a drug use disorder at some time in their lives, but many have gone untreated, according to a new study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a nasal spray version of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone (Narcan). Until now, the only approved version of naloxone was injectable, The New York Times reports.

The American Medical Association this week called for an end to direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs and implantable medical devices, according to CBS News. The ads contribute to increasing costs, and lead to patient demand for inappropriate treatment, the group says.

E-cigarette sales have been declining in recent months, after five years of rapid growth, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, November 13- Thursday, November 19, 2015.

Unintentional poisonings from marijuana edibles, particularly in children, are an unintended consequence of recreational marijuana legalization in Colorado, two experts say.

A new study finds 15 percent of college women report having been raped while incapacitated from alcohol or other drugs during their freshman year, Newsweek reports.

Transplant centers around the country have different rules about how potential liver recipients’ use of cigarettes, drugs or alcohol affects their chances of receiving an organ. Transplant experts discussed the issue this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

The impending merger of the world’s two largest beer manufacturers represents a global health threat, experts warned this week. They said the merger could worsen the growing epidemic of alcohol-related harm in low- and middle-income countries.

People who use smokeless tobacco products have higher levels of nicotine concentrations in their systems, as well as more tobacco compounds linked to increased cancer risk, compared with cigarettes smokers, a new study finds.

The American Medical Association said Monday it is advocating for medical and recreational marijuana products to have warnings against use during pregnancy, the Associated Press reports. The group said its decision is based on research that suggests marijuana use may be linked with premature birth, low birth weight and behavior problems in young children.

A new study suggests an experimental drug can cure hepatitis C in patients who use intravenous drugs, according to Bloomberg Business.

Physicians and pharmacists should be the focus of efforts to reduce prescription opioid misuse, according to a new report by public health experts.