The Latest News from Our Field

Federal prosecutors are asking for a long prison sentence for Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the website Silk Road, which sold illegal drugs including heroin, cocaine and LSD.

People seeking treatment for addiction face a number of obstacles, including problems getting insurance coverage, a shortage of trained health providers and low quality of care, experts tell USA Today.

Deaths due to a new synthetic drug called flakka have risen to 18 in just one South Florida county, The New York Times reports.

Both Republicans and Democrats are focusing more attention on opioid overdose deaths, including those caused by heroin and prescription painkillers, according to The Hill.

The rate of cigarette smoking declined significantly in about half of states between 2011 and 2013, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There was relatively little change in the rate of smokeless tobacco use, the report found.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has arrested 280 people in a four-state crackdown of illegal distribution of prescription pills, named “Operation Pilluted,” Reuters reports. The arrests took place in Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi.

Determining exactly how many people die of heroin overdoses is difficult to pinpoint because many states do not require reporting of specific details on drug overdoses, NPR reports. Information that is available is usually at least two years old.

A bill under consideration in Maine would require health insurance companies to cover abuse-deterrent opioid painkillers at the same level as other opioids. Massachusetts passed a similar law last year, NPR reports.

British scientists have developed a fingerprint test that detects cocaine use, according to Fox News. The researchers say the test has many benefits over traditional drug testing, including a quick turnaround time.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, May 15- Thursday, May 21, 2015.

Only 25 percent of all substance abuse treatment facilities offer at least one medication to treat alcohol use disorders (AUD), a new study finds. Although four drugs have been approved by the FDA for this purpose, many patients lack access to evidence-based treatments that can potentially benefit them, the researchers say.

The drug naltrexone, used to treat alcoholism, may also be useful in treating methamphetamine addiction, a small new study suggests.

People who visit the emergency room at least four times in one year are at much greater risk of dying from a prescription drug overdose, compared with those who visit the ER once a year or not at all, a new study finds.

Congress appears unlikely to overturn a ban on using federal money for needle exchanges, despite a severe outbreak of HIV and hepatitis due to increased heroin use in several states, The New York Times reports.

More than 20 percent of the world’s adult population—one billion people—smoke, while almost 5 percent—240 million—have an alcohol use disorder, according to a new report.

Law enforcement officials are reporting an increase in marijuana-infused edible products being transported illegally across state lines for resale.

Scientists have figured out how to brew heroin’s raw ingredient in genetically modified yeast, raising concerns over whether the process should be regulated, according to The New York Times.

Emergency rooms across the country reported a large increase in the number of visits related to the opioid painkiller tramadol between 2005 and 2011, HealthDay reports. Tramadol is the active ingredient in a number of brand-name drugs, including Ultram, Ultracet, Conzip and Ryzolt.

Caffeine powder, sold as a dietary supplement, is dangerous and should be better regulated, according to lawmakers and consumer groups.

President Obama has chosen former senior Federal Bureau of Investigation official Chuck Rosenberg to be the interim director of the Drug Enforcement Administration, The New York Times reports. Rosenberg replaces Michele Leonhart, who announced her retirement last month.

A program to destroy the Colombian cocaine crop by spraying herbicide may end because of concerns the active ingredient in the herbicide could cause cancer. Experts say the result may be a surge in the country’s cocaine production, according to Time.

Offering financial incentives to smokers to quit is more effective than offering free counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, a new study concludes.

CVS Health Corp has agreed to pay $22 million to resolve a federal investigation into whether two of its pharmacies in Florida sold oxycodone pills that were not prescribed for legitimate medical purposes, Reuters reports.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, May 8- Thursday, May 14, 2015.

The state of substance abuse prevention, early intervention and treatment for adolescents and young adults is inadequate. With the promise of the Affordable Care and Parity Acts, there is greater potential for change.