The Latest News from Our Field

Since California passed the first medical marijuana legislation in 1996, 22 other states and the District of Columbia have followed suit. However, under federal law, marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance and illegal for any use, whether medical or recreational. When it comes to marijuana, does federal law trump state law?

Smokers burn through an average of $1.4 million in personal costs, a new study concludes. The figure includes spending on cigarettes, medical costs and lower wages brought on by smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke, CBS News reports.

Federal agents arrested a man Tuesday who told them he was a top assistant to the operator of Silk Road 2.0, a widely used online criminal marketplace. The site allowed anonymous users to buy and sell illegal drugs, weapons and other illegal items.

Teenagers who don’t get enough sleep are at higher risk of developing problems with alcohol compared with their peers who don’t drink, a new study suggests.

Under a new law, Maine will require drug testing for welfare recipients with a prior drug conviction within the past 20 years who indicate a potential for drug dependency.

A spate of home explosions caused by amateur hash oil makers is an unexpected consequence of legal marijuana in Colorado, The New York Times reports.

A new, more dangerous form of the club drug known as “poppers” is being marketed toward and used by some gay men, a new study concludes. Poppers are inhaled drugs. The new forms can contain harmful solvents and propellants.

Almost 42 percent of American adults who drink also use medications that can interact dangerously with alcohol, according to a new study. Among adults 65 and older, the rate rises to almost 78 percent.

CVS President and CEO Larry Merlo, who announced earlier this year the company was halting tobacco sales, will be a guest of First Lady Michelle Obama at tonight’s State of the Union address.

The diversion and abuse of prescription painkillers decreased slightly between 2011 and 2013, after increasing substantially from 2002 to 2010, according to a study in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine. The findings suggest the U.S. may be making progress in controlling prescription opioid abuse, the researchers say.

A federal judge will rule later this year on whether marijuana should continue to be classified as a Schedule I drug, alongside LSD and heroin, according to the Associated Press.

A study of young drivers who died in crashes finds that half were under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or both at the time the accident occurred, HealthDay reports.

Two organizations representing cancer researchers and specialists are calling on the Food and Drug Administration to bring e-cigarette regulations more in line with those of traditional cigarettes.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, January 9, 2015- Thursday, January 15, 2015.

A vaccine to treat heroin addiction has shown promise in rat studies, but faces challenges including a lack of funding, Time reports.

As U.S.-grown marijuana displaces Mexican cannabis in this country, drug traffickers are sending more cheap heroin and methamphetamine into the United States, according to The Washington Post.

The impact of marijuana legalization in Colorado has been less than critics and supporters predicted, according to The Wall Street Journal. The state has seen neither a tax windfall nor dramatic social consequences, the newspaper reports.

Employees who work more than 48 hours a week are almost 13 percent more likely to engage in risky drinking, compared with those who work less, a new study suggests.

Heroin overdose deaths increased 39 percent from 2012 to 2013, a new government report finds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced 8,257 Americans died of a heroin overdose in 2013, according to The Huffington Post.

Healthcare providers in the United States are poorly prepared to manage pain, according to a new report by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Some doctors stigmatize patients who seek pain relief, the NIH says.

A new device known as an “e-joint” brings together marijuana and an e-cigarette, The New York Times reports.

Raising alcohol taxes may help reduce the binge drinking rate, according to researchers at Boston University. They found a 1 percent increase in alcohol prices due to taxes was associated with a 1.4 percent decrease in binge drinking.

Drug overdose deaths may peak in 2017, experts at Columbia University predict. By 2034 the overdose rate could fall back to rates last seen in the early 1980s, they say.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health are using a replica of a fully stocked bar to test an experimental treatment for alcohol use disorders, ABC News reports.