The Latest News from Our Field

A lawsuit filed by the city of Chicago against five drug companies alleges they contributed to the nation’s prescription drug abuse epidemic through deceptive marketing of their opioid painkillers.

Federal authorities are debating whether health insurance companies can charge e-cigarette users more under the Affordable Care Act, as they are allowed to do for smokers of traditional cigarettes, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Teens ages 12 to 17 were exposed to many new e-cigarette television ads between 2011 and 2013, a new study finds. Young people in this age group experienced a 256 percent jump in exposure to the ads during those years, according to NBC News.

A measure passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last week would end federal interference in state medical marijuana laws.

Diversion of the opioid addiction treatment Suboxone concerns some experts, who say in some cases it may be a gateway drug to heroin or opioid use, The Christian Science Monitor reports.

Devices called vaporizers, which resemble large fountain pens, are quickly becoming a popular item among people using e-cigarettes, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A new program at the Betty Ford Center will provide addiction treatment designed for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning people.

Law enforcement and health officials in Colorado are seeing a variety of problems stemming from the legalization of recreational marijuana. They range from poisonings from edible marijuana to drugged driving.

Heroin users are much more likely to be older, whiter and suburban compared with 50 years ago, a new study concludes. They are almost evenly split between men and women, The Washington Post reports.

An international group of scientists is asking the World Health Organization not to classify e-cigarettes as tobacco products, according to Reuters. The 53 scientists say the devices can help reduce smoking.

Monthly injections of the anti-abuse drug naltrexone, coupled with counseling, can help homeless alcoholics reduce their drinking, a new study suggests.

A former Hershey chocolate production plant in Ontario, Canada has become home to a marijuana production facility, The New York Times reports. The facility houses 50,000 marijuana plants.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, May 23- Thursday, May 29, 2014.

Despite a government panel’s conclusion that there isn’t enough evidence about the best way for doctors to persuade children and teens not to use drugs, a leading expert on teen substance abuse says pediatricians should continue to talk to their patients about drug and alcohol use.

Marijuana from Colorado is flowing into neighboring states, according to law enforcement officials. In those states, drug arrests in counties near the Colorado border are on the rise, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Increasing tobacco taxes by 50 percent would reduce the number of smokers by 49 million in the next three years, and save 11 million lives, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

Methods for destroying drug evidence vary across the country, according to The Wall Street Journal. Law enforcement officials use facilities including hospital incinerators, foundries and crematories.

Some e-cigarette manufacturers are moving production facilities from China to the United States because of concerns over quality of the products.

While many addiction medicine experts say they are concerned the new long-acting painkiller Zohydro will worsen the prescription drug abuse epidemic, some doctors say the drug has benefits, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Health insurance companies are not covering medical marijuana, which can cost up to $1,000 monthly, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Under a new policy of the National Football League (NFL), players would face a one-game suspension and a fine of one game check after their first DUI offense, CBS Sports reports.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York is asking the federal government to allocate $100 million to curb the heroin trade in his state. Seizures of heroin in New York this year have already surpassed those of any previous year since 1991.

More than 123,000 people ended up in hospital emergency rooms in 2011 after misusing the sedative alprazolam, sold under brand names including Xanax. The findings come from a new government report.

Two California counties have sued five drug manufacturers, accusing them of causing the country’s prescription drug abuse epidemic. The suit alleges the companies waged a “campaign of deception” in order to increase painkiller sales.

Now that recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado, the state has increased education about the dangers of drugged driving and stepped up enforcement, according to NPR. The problem, experts say, is that there is no widespread agreement about how much marijuana impairs a person’s ability to drive.