The Latest News from Our Field

A growing number of teens are smoking marijuana, a new study shows. The increase is greatest among black teens. Use of alcohol and cigarettes among this age group is declining, HealthDay reports.

A new Gallup poll finds 44 percent of American adults say they have tried marijuana. This is the largest percentage since Gallup began asking the question in 1969.

Some retirees are choosing to move to states where marijuana is legal, according to Reuters.

Child advocates in Massachusetts are calling for all public school students in the state to be screened for substance use, WBUR reports.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, July 17- Thursday, July 23, 2015.

Doctors at Stanford University are trying to help people dependent on opioid painkillers break the vicious cycle in which physical pain and emotional distress exacerbate one another.

The Bureau of Prisons, part of the U.S. Department of Justice, is proposing revisions to residential drug abuse treatment program regulations to allow greater inmate participation in the program, The Hill reports.

Children with mental health issues appear to be more likely to have serious problems that make it more difficult to lead successful lives in adulthood, a new study suggests.

“Very light” smoking, defined as smoking five or fewer cigarettes a day, appears to be popular among young women, a new study concludes.

A lab in Utah is analyzing sections of umbilical cords to look for evidence of mothers’ drug use, Medical Daily reports. Quickly identifying which infants have been exposed to drugs, and which drugs they were exposed to, can provide valuable information to neonatal specialists treating the babies, the lab says.

Providing broader access to medical marijuana through dispensaries may have the potential benefit of reducing prescription painkiller abuse, a new study suggests.

A new study finds while only about 1 percent of high school seniors say they have tried bath salts in the last year, almost one-fifth of those who tried it say they have taken the synthetic drug 40 times or more.

Tobacco companies are aggressively marketing to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) community, by positioning themselves as allies to the gay rights movement, according to Slate. A recent government report found LGBTQ individuals are more than 33 percent more likely to smoke cigarettes.

Ohio Governor John Kasich has signed emergency legislation that makes the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone available without a prescription. Pharmacies will now be able to offer naloxone over-the-counter to people cleared by a doctor or health officials, The Huffington Post reports.

A new study finds marijuana use among young teens is on the decline, while disapproval of the drug among this age group is increasing. Marijuana use is also on the decline among teens ages 15 to 17.

People who suffer from chronic back pain along with high levels of anxiety or depression are 75 percent more likely to abuse opioids than those with low levels of depression or anxiety, a new study suggests.

Being in a stimulating learning environment, even for a short time, may rewire the brain’s reward system and help protect against addiction, according to a new mouse study.

The next National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will be held on September 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Drug Enforcement Administration has announced.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, July 10- Thursday, July 16, 2015.

A new free, self-guided online program is designed to help active-duty military and veterans reduce their drinking and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. VetChange allows veterans to build personalized action plans to handle real-world situations that trigger unhealthy drinking and track their progress over time.

Long-term abuse of stimulant drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine may have a greater effect on the brains of women compared with men who were dependent on the same drugs, a new study suggests.

The federal government’s effort to reduce opioid painkiller prescriptions among U.S. veterans has left many of them struggling with chronic pain, the Star Tribune reports.

Eight U.S. senators are calling on the federal government to facilitate research on the potential benefits of medical marijuana. The senators say the research is needed because millions of Americans are now eligible by state law to use the drug for medical purposes.

Attorneys general in more than a dozen states are using state and local laws to pressure the e-cigarette industry to stop marketing to minors, according to Reuters.

A growing number of obituaries of people who have died of heroin overdoses refer to their addiction, The New York Times reports. In the past, these obituaries tended to say a person died “unexpectedly” or “at home.”