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.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, October 23- Thursday, October 29, 2015.
In light of these recent societal and political experiments surrounding the regulation of marijuana and with legalization ballot initiatives expected in several states in 2016, the American Society of Addiction Medicine updated their policy statement on marijuana so that it speaks to the broad public health and safety aspects of such measures.
The Department of Transportation is banning airline passengers from packing e-cigarettes and other battery-operated electronic smoking devices in their checked bags because of the risk of fires, the Associated Press reports.
A new government study finds that almost 13 percent of U.S. adults have tried e-cigarettes, the Los Angeles Times reports. Almost 4 percent of adults use the devices on a regular basis.
The Marijuana Policy Project, a pro-legalization advocacy group, has re-released its scorecard of candidates’ stand on marijuana in advance of tonight’s Republican debate in Colorado.
The risk of overdosing on methadone is influenced by a person’s genetic makeup, a new study suggests.
Four out of five teens ages 12 to 17 who have used tobacco say the first product they tried was flavored, according to a new study by researchers from the Food and Drug Administration.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is calling on the U.S. government to raise the legal smoking age to 21 for both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
As heroin use spurs the AIDS epidemic in some parts of the world through shared needles, the debate on drug enforcement is shifting at the United Nations, according to The New York Times.
A new survey finds 30 percent of teens have knowingly accepted a ride from a drinking driver in the past year.
President Obama visited West Virginia on Wednesday, a state ravaged by one of the deadliest epidemics in the nation, to talk with leaders and listen to parents who have lost, or who have nearly lost, children to addiction, reported The New York Times.
According to the Oregonian, a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry, has found that marijuana use has more than doubled since 2001, with nearly 10 percent of adults across the country reporting marijuana use in 2013.
A new study has found that Naproxen, a pain reliever that is available over-the-counter (OTC) and by prescription (Rx), appears to provide as much relief for lower back pain as a narcotic painkiller or a muscle relaxant, HealthDay reports.
In a study published in The BMJ today, researchers found that exposure to secondhand smoke as an infant as young as 4 months is associated with increased risk of tooth decay at age 3, according to Medical News Today.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, October 16- Thursday, October 22, 2015.
While the emergence of a multitude of synthetic drugs (rightfully) has garnered a lot of recent attention, substance abuse involving common household products still remains a large and ever-evolving problem.
President Obama travels to West Virginia today to announce steps to curb the rise in deaths from prescription drug overdoses. He is mandating more training of federal doctors and requiring federal health insurance plans to treat addiction, reported The New York Times.
The American Academy of Pediatrics announced that no amount of alcohol should be viewed as safe throughout pregnancy and called exposure to prenatal alcohol the leading preventable cause of birth defects and intellectual disabilities in children, Today.com reports.
A new survey has found that it is relatively easy for college students in the U.S. to illegally obtain stimulants and other prescription drugs on college campuses, HealthDay reports.
A new report published online in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse shows that overall exposure to brand-specific alcohol advertising is a significant predictor of underage youth alcohol brand consumption, with young people ages 13-20 more likely to consume brands of alcohol that they have seen advertised.
More than 100 people nationwide were arrested by federal drug agents in the latest phase of a crackdown on the manufacturing and distribution of synthetic drugs, the Associated Press reports.
American teens are smoking less, as much as a 64 percent drop in recent years, but a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that teen use of pot has doubled, according to HealthDay.
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that a small number of doctors were responsible for prescribing the most narcotic painkiller prescriptions in the U.S.
A new bill proposed by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker would allow doctors to hold patients involuntarily for treatment and limit their supply of opioid painkillers, according the Wall Street Journal.
Parents and drug abuse prevention advocates are protesting the sale of syringe pens being promoted as Halloween novelty items, the Associated Press reports.
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