The Latest News from Our Field

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.

Harmful drinking is increasing among young people in many nations, according to a new report. Alcohol is becoming more available, affordable and more effectively advertised, the report concludes.

A health warning about the painkiller codeine being transmitted to babies through breast milk has led to a decline in the number of new mothers prescribed the drug, HealthDay reports. There is a rare but potential risk that breastfeeding babies can overdose from codeine if their mothers take the drug.

The Food and Drug Administration this week denied a request from two subsidiaries of the tobacco company Reynolds American to change the warning label of smokeless tobacco products to indicate they are less risky than traditional cigarettes.

California emergency rooms have seen a sixfold jump in the number of young adults in their 20s with heroin poisoning over the last decade, according to Reuters.

People who initially use drugs only on the weekend often start using them during the week, a new study suggests.

Prescription painkiller abuse is largely to blame for a big increase in the rate of hepatitis C among young people in rural areas of four states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new synthetic drug known as “flakka” appears to be as potent and addictive as bath salts, a new rodent study suggests. Flakka and bath salts are chemically similar.

Legal marijuana businesses face tremendous tax bills because they cannot take deductions on rent, employee salaries or utility bills, The New York Times reports. The ban on marijuana deductions comes from a federal law aimed at drug dealers.

Many teens who use e-cigarettes say they enjoy performing tricks with the vapor, such as blowing smoke rings or creating funnels of smoke that look like tornadoes. Performing tricks is one of the top two reasons teens say they enjoy using e-cigarettes, Reuters reports.

A new analysis of Medicare’s prescription drug program finds generic Vicodin was the most widely prescribed drug in 2013, according to The Wall Street Journal. More than half of the prescriptions came from family practice or internal medicine doctors.

The drop in alcohol-related car crashes over the past few decades has benefited the U.S. economy, according to a new study in the journal Injury Prevention.

A bill passed by the Colorado legislature this week would allow parents or caregivers, with a doctor’s note, to come into schools to administer marijuana to their children in the form of a patch. The measure awaits the governor’s signature, Fox News reports.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, May 1- Thursday, May 7, 2015.

Pharmacists are an important but underutilized resource in the fight against prescription drug abuse, according to an expert in addiction pharmacy. Merrill Norton of the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy is spearheading a movement to train pharmacists in substance abuse treatment, so they can recognize patients struggling with substance abuse and get them the help they need.

The Police Chief of Gloucester, Massachusetts has announced the town will provide treatment for people who come to the police station with illegal drugs and paraphernalia, instead of arresting them.

A new study finds heroin use among people who abuse prescription opioids has risen, particularly among whites. From 2008 to 2011, the study found a 75 percent increase in heroin use among whites who abuse painkillers such as OxyContin or Vicodin, HealthDay reports.

Using lessons learned from alcohol and tobacco regulation can help keep legalized marijuana out of children’s hands, according to experts at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

More than a dozen states are offering incentives to Medicaid beneficiaries to quit smoking, lose weight and make other healthy lifestyle changes, according to USA Today. These state programs are taking a cue from workplace wellness programs in the private sector.