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.
New guidelines from the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) on the use of medications in the treatment of opioid addiction should increase the number of patients who receive medication-assisted treatment, says the chair of the guidelines committee.
Attorneys general from 33 states are calling on the Food and Drug Administration to require health warning labels on liquid nicotine, Reuters reports.
A growing number of states are allowing people convicted of drug crimes to qualify for welfare and food stamps, according to The Wall Street Journal. Alabama and Texas lifted restrictions on food stamps for ex-offenders this year. California and Missouri eliminated their bans last year.
Presidential candidates from both parties are discussing drug abuse on the campaign trail, the Burlington Free Press reports.
Two proposed health insurance mergers could negatively impact patients’ access to mental health care services, the American Psychiatric Association has warned antitrust regulators.
Lowering the minimum drinking age from 21 to 18 could increase the high school dropout rate, a new study suggests. The presence of legal-aged peers in a high school setting increases access to alcohol for younger students, researchers report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Doctors are less likely to warn college students about the health risks of drinking, smoking or drug use than young adults not enrolled in college, according to a new survey.
A new international study finds 84 percent of people being treated for addiction smoke, compared with 31 percent of people in the general population.
Counties that prohibit alcohol sales may end up with more meth lab seizures, researchers in Kentucky conclude. They estimate that if all counties in the state were to allow alcohol sales, the number of meth lab seizures would decline by about 25 percent.
CVS announced it will add 12 states to its program to sell the opioid overdose antidote naloxone without a prescription, bringing the total to 14. The company already sells naloxone without a prescription in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse has introduced a new tool to help colleges cut down on student drinking, CNN reports. CollegeAIM includes 60 alcohol interventions, with information on their effectiveness, costs and barriers to implementation.
Many doctors are avoiding recommending medical marijuana to their patients, according to Boston.com. Some feel they don’t know enough about its effectiveness, and are worried about liability and lawsuits.
Parents are invited to an online forum, “Inside the Teen Brain: Is There an App for That?” on Tuesday, September 29 at 9:30am ET.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, September 18- Thursday, September 24, 2015.
On October 4, 2015, individuals and families impacted by the addiction crisis gripping our nation descend on Washington, D.C. for the UNITE to Face Addiction Rally, a historic gathering to end the silence.
A panel of experts has concluded there is not yet enough evidence to determine whether e-cigarettes are safe or effective in helping people quit smoking, Reuters reports.
A bill introduced this month by two U.S. representatives would prevent the Drug Enforcement Administration from using federal civil forfeiture funds to pay for its marijuana eradication program, according to Forbes.
Almost 75 percent of smokers in a 21-country study are not considering quitting, HealthDay reports. Most of the smokers who think about quitting don’t actively take steps to give up cigarettes, the study found.
Florida continues to be a popular state for people to base their lawsuits against the tobacco industry, according to CBS MoneyWatch. The tobacco industry faces thousands of legal challenges in the state.
The Department of Health and Human Services will remove some obstacles that limit the ability of doctors to prescribe buprenorphine for patients who are addicted to heroin or prescription painkillers, The Huffington Post reports.
A bipartisan group of U.S. representatives has introduced a bill designed to combat the increasing use of synthetic drugs, according to Roll Call. The bill would add more than 200 compounds to the list of Schedule I drugs, which are likely to be abused and have no medical uses.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York is calling on the Drug Enforcement Administration to create an investigative unit to go after sales of synthetic drugs. The unit should focus on websites that sell the drugs, and notify credit card companies and payment processors such as PayPal of the illegal activity, he said.
Oregon will fund many alternative pain treatments for patients covered by the state’s version of Medicaid starting in January, NPR reports. The state hopes to reduce the number of people who become addicted to opioids or abuse them.
New York this year has joined at least four other states in allowing public school nurses to add the opioid overdose antidote naloxone to their inventory, NPR reports. Other states with similar policies include Vermont, Massachusetts and Delaware.
A group of organizations and doctors is calling on the U.S. Senate to release records on the financial ties between opioid makers and nonprofit groups that advocated for the drugs’ use in treating pain. The records were obtained as part of an investigation, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Get Support
