The Latest News from Our Field

Extended-release naltrexone is associated with a much lower rate of heroin relapse in men who have been released from jail, compared with released inmates addicted to heroin who are not given treatment, a new study concludes.

Michele Leonhart, the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, will step down next month, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Tuesday. The agency has been entangled in scandal, and Leonhart has differed with President Obama on drug policy, The New York Times reports.

Edible marijuana products are now being marketed for sick pets, ABC News reports. The products are being sold as natural pain relievers and anti-inflammatory supplements.

A growing number of workers in a wide variety of professions are abusing stimulants in an effort to stay competitive, experts tell The New York Times.

E-cigarette use among teens tripled from 2013 to 2014, a new government report finds. An estimated 13 percent of high school students used e-cigarettes last year—compared with 9 percent who smoked traditional cigarettes.

The rate of OxyContin overdoses dropped 19 percent in the two years after the company that makes the drug introduced an abuse-deterrent formulation in 2010, a new study finds. Prescriptions of the drug decreased 19 percent after the new version was released.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2015 Ramstad-Kennedy Annual Award for Outstanding Leadership by a Single State Authority (SSA). The deadline is Saturday, May 9.

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.