The Latest News from Our Field

A new and emerging area of research falls at the intersection of drug, alcohol and tobacco use. Join Together spoke with Amy Cohn, Research Investigator for Legacy to find out how her work could change the way we think about how to frame anti-tobacco interventions and educational campaigns.

A new study finds smokers who start taking smoking-cessation medication before they are ready to quit have greater success once they do want to stop.

Almost 60 percent of pregnant teens say they have used one or more substances in the past year, nearly double the rate of non-pregnant teens, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have found.

Scientists have discovered a new brain circuit that causes marijuana users to get insatiably hungry, commonly known as “the munchies.” In a study of mice, researchers found the hunger is triggered in part by brain cells that usually turn down appetite.

A new bill introduced in the Vermont Senate could make the state the first to legalize recreational marijuana through the state legislature. In the four states in which recreational marijuana is currently legal, voters passed ballot initiatives.

A growing number of television shows are depicting marijuana use, The Wall Street Journal reports. Marijuana is being written into story lines of dramas and comedies, and new reality shows are being created about the fledgling legal marijuana industry.

Schools in some states have started to categorize e-cigarettes as drug paraphernalia, instead of tobacco products, according to the Associated Press. Students caught with e-cigarettes in these schools are punished more harshly than those found with regular cigarettes.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say workplaces designed to help employees who are addicted to drugs can help them tackle their addiction. These “therapeutic workplaces” have been shown in studies to increase abstinence from drugs and maintain abstinence over long periods.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is scheduled to announce Tuesday that during the past year there was a 6 percent decrease in the number of federal drug trafficking prosecutions. The Associated Press reports prosecutors sought mandatory minimum sentences in 51 percent of cases, down from 64 percent the previous year.

The number of Americans who die from smoking-related diseases is significantly higher than previously estimated, according to a new study. The researchers say 60,000 additional deaths annually should be added to the almost half a million already attributed to smoking.

There is no coordination among the 112 federal programs, run by eight government agencies, which support people with serious mental illnesses, according to a new government report.

Drugs to treat alcoholism would not have to lead to sobriety in order to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, under a proposal by the agency. Instead, drug companies could gain approval for treatments if they prove patients using them no longer drink heavily.

A group of marijuana entrepreneurs in Colorado hopes to open the first-ever financial institution designed to serve their industry. They are faced with a stumbling block—they have not been given approval to make deposits in a Federal Reserve account, according to The New York Times.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, February 6, 2015- Thursday, February 12, 2015.

Many families and loved ones of children struggling with substance-related problems often feel completely alone. Parent groups, if available, often function more like an underground railroad than a true community resource.

Moderate consumption of alcohol confers little to no health benefit for most people, a new analysis of almost 53,000 adults finds. The researchers said previous studies that found light alcohol consumption could benefit health were flawed.

A survey of college freshmen finds many fewer of them report drinking and smoking in high school, compared with first-year college students in previous years.

In the four states where recreational marijuana is legal, local and state governments are figuring out how to divide the tax revenue, NPR reports.

CVS Health reported Tuesday that its fourth quarter, the first full three-month period without tobacco sales, was the company’s best ever, according to Forbes.

Fewer Americans are driving drunk, but a growing number are driving under the influence of marijuana and other illegal drugs, according to a new government report.

Schools in two states are starting to use new programs designed to fight prescription painkiller abuse, Reuters reports. The programs, being rolled out in Illinois and Pennsylvania, are designed for middle school and high school students.

Michael Botticelli received unanimous Senate approval on Monday to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Botticelli has served as acting head of the agency since March.

Public health groups say they are concerned that some state measures that appear to keep e-cigarettes out of the hands of young people may do more harm than good, according to USA Today.

Ross W. Ulbricht, the man who founded Silk Road, was convicted this week on seven federal charges. Silk Road sold illegal drugs including heroin, cocaine and LSD, The New York Times reports.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in an interview this week that medical marijuana may help some patients.