The Latest News from Our Field

A new study of how cocaine affects the brain may help explain why people who use the drug make many destructive decisions, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Lung cancer, long the leading cause of cancer deaths among men in developed nations, is now also the top cause of cancer deaths in developed countries among women, according to a new report.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, January 30, 2015- Thursday, February 5, 2015.

Policymakers believe abuse-deterrent formulations of medications are so important, that they are considering legislation that requires they be used for all extended-release/long-acting opioid prescriptions. However, many of those policymakers haven’t considered how much this is going to cost, and who is going to bear that cost.

The share of American nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke fell by half since 2000, from 53 percent to 25 percent, according to a new government report.

Makers of beer, wine and spirits reported a growth in sales last year, USA Today reports. Overall sales of liquor increased 4 percent, to $23.1 billion.

Dartmouth College has announced it will ban hard liquor on campus in an effort to reduce alcohol-related incidents.

Police in rural Nebraska counties bordering Colorado report a large increase in illegal marijuana trafficking, according to NPR.

From e-cigarette vapor to new strains of synthetic marijuana, our Join Together News Service covers the top drug and alcohol news of the day making an impact in your community, work and life.

Mexican drug cartels are increasing their profits by exporting more heroin to the United States, the Associated Press reports. They are refining opium paste into high-grade white heroin, and using distribution routes they built for cocaine and marijuana.

The Obama Administration’s 2016 budget proposal includes increased funding for programs designed to fight prescription drug abuse, according to The Hill.

A new study finds some children and teens are using more than one type of tobacco product, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, smokeless tobacco and pipes.

The New York State Attorney General on Monday accused four major retailers of selling adulterated and/or mislabeled dietary supplements. GNC, Target, Walgreens and Walmart were told to stop selling the products in the state, The New York Times reports.

Loretta Lynch, the nominee for U.S. Attorney General, said in her first day of confirmation hearings that she does not support the legalization of marijuana.

A drug dealer testifying at the trial of Silk Road founder Ross William Ulbricht says he sold up to 600 small bags of heroin a day on the site. Michael Duch says he used most of the money to support his $2,000-to-$3,000-a-week heroin addiction.

Sales of nicotine patches and gums are slowing as more smokers are turning to e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking regular cigarettes, Reuters reports.

The American Board of Addiction Medicine announced this week that 651 physicians have passed its most recent exam for addiction medicine certification. The total number of physicians certified by the board is now 3,363.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, January 23, 2015- Thursday, January 29, 2015.

Although authorities are trying to crack down on synthetic marijuana, emergency department physicians are still seeing an influx of young people who experience serious side effects after taking the drug, according to Lewis S. Nelson, M.D., Professor in the Dept. of Emergency Medicine and a medical toxicologist at NYU.

A new study finds financial incentives can be an effective way to help pregnant women quit smoking.

Adults with a history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who drink or use drugs start at an earlier age on average than those with no history of the disorder, a new study suggests.

More people have been calling poison control centers in Colorado and Washington state since recreational marijuana became legal for adults 21 and older in those states, the Associated Press reports.

A Drug Enforcement Administration program to track license plates, designed to combat drug trafficking, is being used for other purposes, The Wall Street Journal reports. The database is also being employed to search for vehicles associated with other crimes, including kidnappings and murders, according to the newspaper.

Almost one-third of women of childbearing age had an opioid painkiller prescription filled each year from 2008 to 2012, according to a new government study. These drugs can increase the risk for birth defects, The New York Times reports.

The group representing the nation’s pediatricians issued a statement this week opposing the legalization of marijuana. The drug can be harmful to adolescent health and development, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.