The Latest News from Our Field

A ruling Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller keeps marijuana on the list of Schedule I drugs, alongside LSD and heroin. Schedule I drugs are substances classified as having no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

Nearly 10 percent of American teens say they have tried hashish, according to a new study. A quarter of teens who have tried marijuana have also used hashish, which contains a greater concentration of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

A new study finds the levels of chemicals in some brands of e-cigarette flavoring exceed recommended limits. Some of the chemicals could be respiratory irritants, HealthDay reports.

Deaths due to oxycodone overdoses declined 25 percent after Florida implemented its prescription drug monitoring program in 2011, according to a new study. The researchers attribute the drop directly to the program.

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

The Walt Disney Company’s CEO and Chairman Bob Iger made an announcement that Disney's studios will produce smoke-free PG-13 films.

The three largest tobacco companies are suing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), claiming new guidelines issued by the agency infringe on their commercial speech. The new guidelines are designed to help manufacturers decide which new products require FDA review.

California will be the key battleground for marijuana legalization next year, experts tell Bloomberg. They say the outcome of the state’s vote on the issue is likely to determine whether most of the nation decriminalizes marijuana for recreational use.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer of New York is urging the Food and Drug Administration to ban over-the-counter dietary supplements that contain the stimulant beta-methylphenethylamine, or BMPEA. The stimulant, often marketed as a weight-loss aid, can lead to serious health problems, doctors say.

Four pitchers have tested positive for the steroid Stanozolol since baseball season began. Major League Baseball is trying to figure out why the drug, long popular with bodybuilders, may have made a comeback, USA Today reports.

A drug known as “flakka” is the latest synthetic compound to raise concern among public health experts, Fox News reports. Flakka is a tweaked version of bath salts.

Colorado health officials are trying to find a way to prevent people from overdosing on marijuana edibles. The products have been implicated in two suicides and one murder in the past 13 months, according to The Denver Post.

Needle-exchange programs are effective tools to fight the spread of infectious disease and steer heroin users into treatment, according to Michael Botticelli, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

A new study finds a woman’s use of prescription opioids during pregnancy increases the risk her baby will be born small or early. Such use also raises the chance the baby will go through painful drug withdrawal, HealthDay reports.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week launched a social media campaign called “When the Prescription Becomes the Problem.” The campaign is designed to raise awareness of prescription painkiller abuse and overdose.

U.S. Border Patrol agents report seizing smaller quantities of marijuana along the U.S.-Mexican border since the drug was legalized in Colorado and Washington state, Time reports. In 2011, agents seized 2.5 million pounds. Last year, they seized 1.9 million pounds.

Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home are up to three times more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, compared with their peers who don’t live with smokers, according to a new study.

A Seattle program designed to keep low-level drug offenders and prostitutes out of jail is showing promise, a preliminary study suggests. The program, called Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, provides housing, counseling, job training and other services.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, April 3 - Thursday, April 9, 2015.

Seven hundred twenty-two. This is the number of bills that state legislatures are currently considering on five topics related to controlled substances and prescriptions drugs – and it is only April.

Fourteen state attorneys general have asked Congress to launch an investigation of the herbal supplement industry, Reuters reports. The Food and Drug Administration should be given more oversight of herbal supplements, the attorneys general said.

At a Food and Drug Administration hearing this week to consider whether the smokeless tobacco known as “snus” is less harmful than cigarettes, government scientists questioned a proposal to modify cancer warning language on the product’s packaging.

A new survey finds 46 percent of Americans say they approve of President Obama’s decision to free 22 prisoners serving long prison terms for non-violent drug offenses.

A rule proposed this week by the Obama Administration would allow Medicaid recipients who receive services through managed care organizations or alternative benefit plans to get the same access to substance abuse and mental health benefits as those provided by private health insurance.

Legislators in Colorado and Washington are considering rules designed to reduce the number of home explosions and injuries caused by people making homemade hash oil.