The Latest News from Our Field

The outcome of a marijuana legalization vote in Portland, Maine on November 5 could indicate whether the East Coast is ready to follow the lead of Colorado and Washington state, the Associated Press reports.

As we prepare for holiday gatherings, longer breaks from school and home-bound college kids, a wary parent can be best equipped by taking time to become acquainted with the warning signs of drug and alcohol use and effective tactics to prevent and discuss substance use with an adolescent or young adult.

A study of college students finds false ID use may contribute to the risk of alcohol use disorder by making it easier for students to drink more frequently. The study found false IDs were used by almost two-thirds of students who had tried alcohol at least once before starting college.

High-cost cigarettes and smoke-free homes reduce smoking among people with low incomes, a new study concludes. Cigarettes that cost $4.50 or more per pack are associated with lower cigarette use, researchers from the University of California, San Diego found.

California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom is joining with the American Civil Liberties Union in an effort to craft a marijuana legalization measure, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The measure would go before California voters during the November 2016 election.

Legislators in Ohio, which has experienced a surge in opioid overdose deaths, are calling for stricter standards for prescribing opioids for pain, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

Washington state approved rules this week for the recreational sale of marijuana, the Associated Press reports. The Washington Liquor Control Board, which adopted the rules, will issue licenses for up to 334 marijuana stores across the state.

A group that represents 75 national fraternities has been successful in opposing college rules that are designed to reduce alcohol-related deaths by postponing freshman recruiting, according to Bloomberg.

An analysis of national data shows 53 percent of children ages 6 to 19 have been exposed to secondhand smoke. For children ages 6 to 11, even low levels of secondhand smoke were associated with more missed days of school, trouble sleeping, more wheezing and less physical activity.

Doctors in the Chicago suburb of Joliet say the number of people hospitalized with symptoms that suggest addiction to the flesh-eating drug krokodil has risen to five, CNN reports. Similar cases have been reported by health care providers in Arizona and Oklahoma.

The alcohol content of beer and wine varies widely, meaning people often end up consuming more alcohol than they realize, according to a new report.

A new study finds a link between crystal meth use and an increased risk of injecting drugs. The Canadian study included 395 young people living on the street in Vancouver.

A variant of the club drug ketamine could be reformulated for use as an antidepressant, a new study suggests. The three-week study found depressed people who took the drug reported improvement.

The smoking cessation drugs Chantix (varenicline) and Zyban (bupropion) do not increase the risk of suicide or depression, compared with nicotine replacement therapy, a new study concludes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued safety warnings about using these drugs to help people quit smoking.

This October marks the centennial anniversary of America’s “public health enemy number one”: cigarettes. As smoking has evolved from a fashionable accessory to what we now understand as deadly addiction, at least 43 million Americans still smoke, despite its negative health, social and economic impact. So why do smokers still smoke asks Legacy President and CEO Cheryl Healton?

Law enforcement officers in a city outside of Fort Lauderdale, Florida have been conducting “reverse sting” operations to lure potential cocaine buyers, and funneling the proceeds into the police department budget, ABC News reports.

A new study finds Ritalin can successfully treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in people with substance dependence. People with both conditions often do not respond well to ADHD medication, according to MedicalXpress.

Marine Corps Exchange stores around the world will impose new limits on alcohol sales in an effort to limit irresponsible drinking, Stars and Stripes reports.

A new study finds cigarettes are linked to the cause of death in more than 60 percent of smokers. Smoking shortens the life of an average smoker by 10 years, Australian researchers found.

The sports supplement “Craze,” popular in the United States and other countries, contains a meth-like chemical, USA Today reports.

The Drug Enforcement Administration says it has not seen evidence of the flesh-eating drug krokodil surfacing in the United States, despite reports in Arizona and Illinois of people using the drug.

The number of babies born dependent on drugs their mothers took during pregnancy is predicted to exceed 800 in Tennessee this year, more than even before, according to a new report.

A national group of anesthesiologists is launching a card to identify and treat people suspected of an opioid overdose. The American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Opioid Overdose Resuscitation card lists symptoms and instructions for helping a person suspected of an overdose.

With his new documentary, “Out of Reach,” filmmaker Cyrus Stowe, a senior at a Dallas high school, set out to uncover the growing problem of friends sharing and abusing prescription medications in his hometown.

States are trying a variety of strategies to fight prescription drug abuse, from tightening regulations on pain management clinics to increasing access to prescription monitoring program databases, USA Today reports.