The Latest News from Our Field

The number of patients receiving mental health care is expected to soar under provisions of the Affordable Care Act that will take effect next week, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Most drug tests given to people on parole or probation are unlikely to detect synthetic marijuana, a new study finds.

The club drug “Molly” is often laced with other synthetic drugs such as bath salts, making it more dangerous, according to law enforcement officials.

The Attorneys General of 41 states asked the Food and Drug Administration to issue regulations for e-cigarettes by the end of October. They said they want to ensure e-cigarette companies do not continue to sell or advertise to minors.

A survey of underage smokers and drinkers in Canada finds many of them obtain their cigarettes and alcohol from family and friends.

Legacy's Julia Cartwright pays tribute to Terrie Hall, an important voice in the fight to save lives from tobacco use.

Opponents of marijuana legalization say they don’t believe states where recreational use of the drug is legal will be able to keep it out of the hands of children, according to the Miami Herald.

French officials announced the largest haul of cocaine ever seized in that country--1.3 metric tons, or 2,900 pounds—was found in suitcases on an Air France flight arriving from Venezuela. The drugs were worth at least $67 million, The New York Times reports.

Kentucky is offering two $1,500 college scholarships to high school seniors who have been impacted by prescription drug abuse. Teens can qualify if they are recovering themselves, or if they are affected by a family member’s prescription drug abuse, according to the Associated Press.

State senators from California and Nevada are calling on Craigslist to stop running ads for prescription drugs, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Several recent cases of drugs smuggled into substance abuse treatment centers highlight how difficult it is to eradicate drug use in these facilities, according to USA Today.

Illegal drugs including heroin, cocaine, opioid pills, Ecstasy and LSD are for sale through an online marketplace named Silk Road, which law enforcement officials have been unable to shut down.

A new study finds three risk factors for smoking among young adults are being impulsive, using alcohol regularly and receiving low grades in school.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer of New York has introduced a new bill aimed at “Molly” and similar synthetic drugs, The Wall Street Journal reports.

A quick Internet search of “pills to boost your brain power” will return thousands of hits. For high school and college students, the pressure to perform academically makes the idea of a pill that can help with attention or studying even more attractive, says one researcher.

Attorney General Eric Holder has announced the Justice Department will broaden a plan to change how some non-violent drug offenders are prosecuted.

Opioid prescribing for non-cancer pain almost doubled between 2000 and 2010, while prescriptions for non-opioid pain relievers remained relatively stable during that period, according to a new study.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health will award up to $53 million this fiscal year to create a tobacco research program. Funding over five years could reach $273 million, Reuters reports.

A new study finds a link between more experiences of discrimination and higher levels of drug use.

Drug and alcohol violations among employees at U.S. nuclear plants are on the rise, according to a new report. They have increased from about one a month to almost one a week over the last five years.

The poorest 20 percent of American households spent an average of $152 on alcohol last year, a new government survey finds. These households spent less on alcohol last year than at any time in the past 15 years, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Law enforcement officials in Ohio report an increase in the amount of Suboxone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, being smuggled into prisons, often through the mail.

Electronically tracking purchases of pseudoephedrine, a cold medicine used in making methamphetamine, will not stop production or use of meth, according to a drug policy expert.

U.S. emergency rooms reported almost 23,000 visits for synthetic drugs known as "bath salts" in 2011. The findings come from the first national study to look at bath salts-related emergency room visits, according to HealthDay.

A new study finds a substance abuse treatment program that approaches addiction as a chronic disease is no more effective than a single medical visit and a referral to addiction treatment resources.