The Latest News from Our Field

E-cigarettes are being used by more people to smoke marijuana or synthetic drugs, CNN reports. People use the devices to get high without police, parents or teachers knowing.

Flakka, the synthetic drug that has hit Florida hard, has been spreading to states including Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio, The Wall Street Journal reports. People using the drug suffer bouts of extreme paranoia.

Marijuana businesses are increasingly using technology to grow, test, sell and deliver their product, according to CBS News.

People who play electronic games professionally will not be allowed to use the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug Adderall unless they have a doctor’s note, the Electronic Sports League said Wednesday.

Chicago’s heroin problem is increasing at a time when Illinois has cut funding for drug treatment, according to a new report.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, August 7- Thursday, August 13, 2015.

In addressing overdoses, clinicians and the public have largely focused on how to safely prescribe opioid medication and on limiting access to opioid medication. These are important steps in solving the problem, but more needs to be done to address the underlying issue: addiction.

Colorado officials are recommending that edible marijuana products be labeled with a red stop sign, the Associated Press reports. The state may also ban the word “candy” from edible labels.

An increasing number of men are overusing body-building supplements in an attempt to meet the modern ideal of masculinity, researchers reported at the American Psychological Association annual meeting.

Mice addicted to methamphetamine who received a single injection of an experimental drug called blebbistatin did not experience a relapse, a new study finds.

Fewer long-term nursing home residents are taking antipsychotic medications, compared with 2011, according to a new government report. The decrease came after a campaign that targeted overprescribing, according to The Hill.

More than 4 million Americans admit they have driven while intoxicated at least once in the past month, a new government study finds. The typical drunk driver is a young male with a history of binge drinking.

A national group representing state legislatures is calling on Congress to allow states to set their own policies on marijuana and hemp. The National Conference of State Legislatures urged the Obama Administration not to interfere with state marijuana and hemp policies.

Online support groups are not as effective as face-to-face meetings in helping people stay sober, a new study concludes. Participants said they were less likely to be dishonest in face-to-face meetings, according to HealthDay.

A group of Cincinnati hospitals has announced it will test all mothers or their babies for opiates. It is the first program of its kind in the nation, Reuters reports.

Some patients with chronic pain say they are having increasing trouble obtaining prescription painkillers. This trend may be an unintended consequence of the government’s attempts to reduce illicit use of prescription drugs, PBS NewsHour reports.

At least 22 states considered bills this year that would allow alcohol makers to circumvent alcohol distributors and allow them to sell their products directly to consumers, Time reports.

A bill introduced Wednesday in Ohio’s state legislature would require people applying for welfare to undergo drug screening. If the screening suggested drug use, they would have to take a drug test, ABC News reports.

The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Inc. has announced the deadline to submit applications for the 2015 Exemplary Awards for Innovative Substance Abuse Prevention Programs, Practices, and Policies is Friday, September 4.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, July 31- Thursday, August 6, 2015.

Colleges can reduce excessive drinking and intoxication at off-campus parties, as well as nearby bars and restaurants, with a comprehensive prevention program that includes the surrounding community, new research confirms.

Officials in cities across the United States are reporting a rise in overdoses related to synthetic marijuana, CNN reports. Police chiefs meeting in Washington this week said they need field tests to help them quickly determine whether suspects have taken the drug.

Drones are being used to smuggle drugs and other contraband into prisons, according to The Christian Science Monitor. Last week, inmates started fighting at a correctional facility in Ohio after a drone dropped more than seven ounces of heroin, marijuana and tobacco into the prison yard.

Electronic programs designed to curb drinking do not reduce alcohol use in the long term, a new study finds. These programs may produce small reductions in alcohol consumption in the first six months, but there is little evidence for longer-term, clinically significant effects, the researchers report in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Results of blood tests of track and field athletes reveal that doping is a widespread problem in the sport, according to NPR.