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Helpline
Helpline
Call 1.855.378.4373 to schedule a call time with a specialist

The Latest News from Our Field

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 U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory says the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the nation’s youth mental health crisis, and calls for a rapid response.
Marijuana use may interfere with sleep, a new study suggests.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on Wednesday announced a $30 million harm reduction program to help address the nation’s substance use and overdose epidemic, Newsweek reports.
Find more of our must-reads in policy news, including a Surgeon General advisory on youth mental health.
View our curated digest of the latest research news, including text messaging as a means of tobacco risk communication.
The first government-approved supervised drug injection sites in the United States have opened in New York City this week, NPR reports.
A new study finds more ridesharing trips with services such as Uber or Lyft may result in fewer alcohol-involved crashes.
More than 10% of patients who receive a pacemaker or other implantable cardiac device and fill an opioid prescription after surgery consistently take the medication for months afterwards, a new study finds. This raises the potential for addiction, researchers report in the journal Circulation.
Find more of our must-reads in policy news, including the nation's first government-sanctioned supervised injection site.
View our curated digest of the latest research news, including the influence of neighborhood contexts on adolescent substance use among ethnic minority families.
More than 100,000 people in the United States died of drug overdoses from May 2020 to April 2021 — an increase of 28.5% from the same period a year earlier, according to new government data. The deaths are a new record high, HealthDay reports.
A new study suggests that women’s use of marijuana in pregnancy may predispose their children to an increased risk of anxiety, aggression and hyperactivity.
Experiencing adversity in childhood — such as growing up in a household where there was substance use, violence or mental illness — is linked with an increased risk of poor mental and physical health later in life, a new study concludes.
Find more of our must-reads in policy news, including a record number of overdose deaths in the United States.
View our curated digest of the latest research news, including associations between cannabis use and anxiety in youth.
An increasing number of people under 50 with cannabis use disorder are being hospitalized for a heart attack, according to a new study presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association.
The $1 trillion infrastructure package expected to be signed soon by President Biden includes a provision requiring automakers to include new technology to prevent drunk driving, the Associated Press reports.
A new study finds young adults who experience frequent discrimination are 25% more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness compared with those who experience less discrimination or none at all.
Find more of our must-reads in policy news, including an infrastructure bill mandate to prevent drunk driving.
View our curated digest of the latest research news, including neuropsychological performance in young adults with cannabis use disorder.
A California judge ruled this week that four pharmaceutical companies cannot be held liable for the state’s opioid crisis, NPR reports.
The number of people with alcoholic hepatitis who received a liver transplant or were put on a waiting list rose more than 50% over predicted numbers during the pandemic, a new study finds. Researchers say the increase was associated with higher alcohol sales.
A new study concludes low to moderate alcohol consumption is not likely to prevent premature death, HealthDay reports.
Find more of our must-reads in policy news, including a ruling on drug companies' liability for California's opioid crisis.
View our curated digest of the latest research news, including the effects of exposure to opioids and nicotine in utero.