The Latest News from Our Field

Boston mayoral candidate Martin J. Walsh, a recovering alcoholic, has the backing of many people who have dealt with substance use issues themselves, according to The New York Times.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided to drop a bill that would have required stores to keep cigarettes out of sight, according to The New York Times. Bloomberg still hopes to raise the legal smoking age to 21.

Health care professionals who are dealing with substance use disorders face particular challenges, according to the executive director of an organization dedicated to serving this population. These professionals must learn to cope with the emotional challenges of having ready access to medications, says Maureen Sullivan Dinnan, J.D. of HAVEN.

Despite widespread publicity about “date rape” drugs such as roofies, liquid ecstasy and Special K, alcohol remains the most common substance associated with sexual assault, according to law enforcement officials.

Doctors are trying a new approach to pain management after surgery, in an attempt to reduce patients’ reliance on narcotic painkillers, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A little more than a year after President Obama signed legislation banning the sale of 26 designer drugs, more than 250 types of these synthetic drugs are still sold in the United States, Roll Call reports.

Monday is the most popular day for conducting Google searches about quitting smoking, a new study finds.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first pure hydrocodone drug in the United States. The drug, Zohydro ER (extended release), was approved for patients with pain that requires daily, around-the-clock, long-term treatment that cannot be treated with other drugs.

Business and patient groups waged a costly lobbying campaign against tighter prescribing regulations for hydrocodone products for many years, according to The New York Times. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration recommended tighter restrictions for products containing hydrocodone and other painkillers such as acetaminophen or aspirin.

Court papers unsealed Friday revealed that federal agents seized a total of $35 million in profits from Silk Road, the online drug marketplace shut down earlier this month.

States trying to require drug testing for welfare recipients are facing obstacles, including legal challenges and high costs, The New York Times reports.

The next National Prescription Take-Back Day is Saturday, October 26 at more than 5,000 locations around the country. Your participation along with that of your friends, neighbors and community leaders will be critical, as it always is, to the success of this campaign that takes tons of drugs out of harm’s way and ensures their safe and secure disposal, says DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart.

The Food and Drug Administration has recommended tighter restrictions for products containing hydrocodone and other painkillers such as acetaminophen or aspirin. These combination products include Vicodin and Lortab.

Many doctors fail to diagnose and treat substance use disorders, in part because they have not been educated about addiction medicine, according to three experts. They call for better training in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association.

A trade group representing the e-cigarette industry will be traveling to Washington on November 4 to urge Congress not to classify the devices as tobacco products, the Los Angeles Times reports.

A federal lawsuit is challenging a Wisconsin measure that allows the forcible confinement of pregnant women who use illegal drugs or alcohol “to a severe degree” and will not accept treatment. The law is known as the “cocaine mom” act.

A new study suggests patients taking buprenorphine to treat their opioid addiction may benefit from tapering off the medication over four weeks instead of a shorter period. The longer detoxification is effective when it is followed by treatment with naltrexone, a drug that blocks opioid strength, the researchers found.

State laws that require private health plans to provide coverage for substance use disorders (SUD) that is equal to benefits for general medical coverage can increase access to SUD treatment, a new study suggests.

A poll of high school teens finds 77 percent say they don’t drink alcohol. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which released the survey, 69 percent of teens say they don’t drink, and an additional 8 percent say they used to drink, but don’t anymore.

Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy have an increased risk of being hospitalized for potentially deadly infections, according to new research.

A Gallup poll has found a majority of Americans say marijuana should be legalized. The poll found 58 percent favor legalization, a 10 percent increase since last year.

Maine has become the first state to allow prescription drugs to be purchased abroad, CBS News reports.

Tobacco companies, which have been banned from targeting children and teens in the United States, are focusing on young people in the developing world, according to Scientific American.

Vermont will join dozens of other states that have adopted tobacco-free policies at state-funded addiction treatment centers, the Associated Press reports.

Baby boomers appear to be carrying their substance abuse habits with them as they age, according to a behavioral health expert at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. David W. Oslin, MD, says binge drinking and prescription drug use are particular concerns in this population.