The Latest News from Our Field

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer of New York has introduced a measure to ban the production, sale and possession of powdered alcohol, NPR reports. Schumer’s announcement came two days after a federal agency announced it had approved sale of the product, called “Palcohol.”

A measure introduced by two U.S. senators would impose harsher penalties for drug dealers who provide candy-coated or flavored drugs to minors.

Powdered alcohol was approved by a government agency on Tuesday, The Washington Post reports. The product, called “Palcohol,” could arrive in stores this summer.

Up to one-fourth of people entering drug rehabilitation programs say they have abused the newer version of OxyContin, which has been reformulated to make it harder to abuse, a new study finds.

A new Government Accountability Office report concludes the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has contributed to a shortage of prescription narcotics and stimulants. Controlled substances such as narcotics and stimulants are regulated by the DEA because of the potential for abuse and addiction.

Thousands of soldiers are turned away by Army substance abuse clinics each year, according to an investigation by USA Today.

For those who have battled the prescription drug abuse epidemic, we know it doesn’t stop when drug dealers are arrested - it doesn’t end with justice alone. It requires a holistic approach, including a variety of treatment options, as well as education in our schools and communities.

A bill introduced Tuesday by three U.S. senators would end the federal prohibition on medical marijuana, The Washington Post reports.

An estimated 17 percent of college students misuse drugs designed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a new analysis of previous studies.

Swedish researchers report they have developed a breath test that could be used as an alternative to urine drug testing. The test detects many drugs including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, according to HealthDay.

Kentucky legislators are considering adopting a needle-exchange program, in an effort to reduce the spread of hepatitis C among injection drug users. The nearby city of Portsmouth, Ohio, has had some success with a similar program, USA Today reports.

A new study finds prescription painkillers are largely to blame for an increase in the death rate among white women ages 15 to 54 in the United States over the past 15 years, The Washington Post reports.

The number of babies born in Florida with neonatal abstinence syndrome soared more than 10-fold in the past 20 years, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the same period, these births increased three-fold nationally.

One-fourth of health plans sold on health insurance exchanges created through the Affordable Health Act appear to offer unequal benefits for mental and physical illness, a new study concludes. A federal “parity” law requires equal benefits for general medical and mental health care.

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, is offering a Minority Fellowship Program for Addiction Counselors. The deadline is March 15, 2015.

Brief alcohol education programs are only temporarily effective in convincing college students to reduce their drinking, a new study suggests.

Teens are easily able to purchase e-cigarettes online because websites that sell the devices do not verify the age of purchasers, a new study concludes.

A large national survey finds 52 percent of Americans favor marijuana legalization. The General Social Survey, conducted every two years, is widely considered to be the gold standard for public opinion research, according to The Washington Post.

Sheriffs from Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas are asking a federal court in Denver to strike down Colorado’s amendment that legalizes recreational marijuana. They are also asking the court to shut down the state’s licensed marijuana stores, USA Today reports.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, February 27, 2015- Thursday, March 5, 2015.

Doctors and nurses should undergo random drug testing, argues a leading medical ethicist. “I am sorry to say that addiction and the abuse of drugs are not really a part of the discussion about making medicine safer,” says Arthur L. Caplan, PhD.

Heroin-related deaths are now most common among young, white male adults in the Midwest, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fifteen years ago, the death rate was highest among older black males in the West and Northeast.

The more friends a person is with when they are out drinking, the more they will drink themselves, a new study concludes.

Increasing the minimum age to purchase cigarettes to 21 would prevent teens from starting to smoke, and would ultimately save lives, according to a new report. The minimum age to buy cigarettes in most parts of the country is 18.