The Latest News from Our Field

Men who continue to smoke after they have received a diagnosis of cancer are more likely to die than those who find out they have cancer and quit smoking, according to a new study.

When kids come into treatment, their lives are just chaotic. Parents are desperate -- they don’t know what to do or where to turn. The most important thing is to bring stability into the situation, and the best way to do that is with medication, says Dr. John Knight.

States that have enacted more alcohol- and traffic-related laws have a lower proportion of traffic deaths, compared with states with fewer such laws, a new study indicates. Researchers say encouraging states to adopt more of these laws could significantly reduce preventable traffic-related deaths in the United States, especially among young people.

A study of more than one million Swedish men finds those who had an alcohol use disorder in their late teens had a higher risk of heart disease over the next two decades than those without a drinking problem. Later hospitalization for substance use disorders was also associated with a higher heart disease risk.

A new study finds the use of e-cigarettes among teens is associated with heavier use of regular cigarettes. The researchers say their findings suggest that the devices are creating a new pathway for youth to become addicted to nicotine.

About 100 families of children with seizures have come to Colorado to gain access to a marijuana-based oil to treat their children, The New York Times reports.

Large amounts of designer drugs are being imported into the United States legally, CBS News reports. While several synthetic drugs were outlawed by the federal government last year, chemists have been evading the law by continually coming up with new chemical compounds different from the ones that have been banned.

Cigarette graphic warning labels could reduce the number of smokers in the United States by as much as 8.6 million people, saving millions of lives, according to a new study.

Slightly less than 1 percent of anesthesiology residents in the United States have a substance use disorder, according to a new study. The incidence of substance use has been increasing, and relapse rates are not improving, the researchers said.

Drinking alcohol with an energy drink is more dangerous than drinking alcohol alone, according to a new study.

Emergency room visits related to Molly, or Ecstasy, rose 128 percent among people younger than 21 between 2005 and 2011, according to a new government report.

A new government report finds about 6 percent of U.S. teens say they use a psychiatric medicine as drug therapy, similar to the rate 10 years ago.

A study of opioid-dependent patients entering drug-treatment programs across the country finds oxycodone is the most popular prescription opioid to abuse because of the quality of the high the drug produces.

Employers in Colorado and Washington state, where recreational marijuana is now legal for adults, are wrestling with whether and how to adjust their drug policies to account for the new laws.

Last June, I testified before a Reference Committee at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association, explaining a resolution that American Society of Addiction Medicine had brought forward to encourage the Food and Drug Administration to reschedule hydrocodone combination products from Schedule III to Schedule II. I expected there to be few others testifying. I wasn’t at all ready for the long line of individuals standing at the “con” microphone, ready to speak against the resolution, says Dr. Stuart Gitlow, ASAM President.

The University of Miami is one of a growing number of colleges that have instituted “Good Samaritan” policies to encourage students to call 911 when they are with someone who may be in danger from consuming drugs or alcohol.

Consuming energy drinks high in caffeine and taurine can significantly increase a person’s heart contraction rate, according to a new study that raises concerns about the drinks’ effect on the heart.

The government shutdown in late September and early October likely delayed the Food and Drug Administration’s ruling on e-cigarette regulation, according to Consumer Reports.

A scientist at the University of New Haven is developing a new test to detect contaminants such as mold and mildew in marijuana, CBS News reports.

A government survey finds 17 percent of unemployed workers have a substance use disorder, compared with 9 percent of full-time workers, CNNMoney reports.

Cancer groups from around the world say millions of cancer patients are not able to obtain painkillers because of laws designed to fight drug abuse.

A report by U.S. and Canadian officials concludes only about half of prescription drugs and other “chemicals of emerging concern” are removed from sewage by treatment plants.

The number of Major League Baseball players authorized to use drugs to treat attention deficit disorder is increasing, the Los Angeles Times reports.

In recent years, there has been an increase in hookah use around the world, most notably among youth and university students. While many waterpipe tobacco smokers often think that this method of tobacco use is safe, all available scientific data demonstrate that it is in fact dangerous and addictive, explains health expert Dr. Thomas Eissenberg.

More than half of teens in the United States who have mental health disorders do not receive treatment, according to a new study. The findings come from an analysis of more than 10,000 teens.