The Latest News from Our Field

As the federal government takes steps to reduce mandatory minimum sentences for minor drug offenses, California legislators are considering making similar changes.

Law enforcement officials and prosecutors are finding it difficult to win convictions against makers of synthetic drugs, who are constantly changing the chemistry of the products to stay one step ahead of the law.

A new poll finds 10 percent of Americans admit they have taken someone else’s prescription drugs. One-quarter of those people used the drugs to get high.

Higher cigarette taxes are associated with reduced drinking in men and young adult smokers, a new study suggests.

Having half-siblings increases the chance that a teenager will use drugs and have sex by age 15, according to a study presented at the American Sociological Association annual meeting.

Excessive alcohol use costs the United States $223.5 billion annually, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Binge drinking accounts for more than 70 percent of these costs.

Women do not experience alcohol problems or alcoholism earlier than men, but seek treatment four to five years sooner, a new study concludes. Women with alcohol problems request help after an average of 10 years, compared with 15 years for men.

New drugs being tested as treatments for muscle-wasting diseases such as muscular dystrophy could be abused by athletes if they reach the market, experts tell NPR.

After hearing comments from hundreds of people about proposed new rules for marijuana sales, officials in Washington state said they want to delay implementing the regulations for a few months.

In response to the recent CNN expose, The California Association of Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC) is supporting actions to investigate and hold accountable businesses and individuals involved in fraud in the drug Medi-Cal program, explains Andrew D. Kessler of IC&RC.

Authorities charged with reigning in the international drug trade are having a difficult time, as it spreads to new markets and quickly evolves, an expert tells CNBC.

Purdue Pharma, which makes the opioid painkiller OxyContin, has compiled a database of about 1,800 doctors it suspects may have recklessly prescribed the drug to people addicted to it, as well as to drug dealers, the Los Angeles Times reports. The company has kept most of the list private.

Many marijuana growers are trying to increase the content of the drug’s active ingredient, THC, as high as it will go, CNN reports. High-potency marijuana can lead to dangerous behavior, such as intoxicated driving, several experts say.

Recent research suggests people who drink moderately—about two glasses a day for men, and one for women—may gain less weight than those who drink heavily or don’t drink at all, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A growing number of law enforcement officials around the country are prosecuting drug dealers for causing heroin overdose deaths, the Associated Press reports.

Attorney General Eric Holder will announce today a Justice Department plan to change how some non-violent drug offenders are prosecuted, according to The Washington Post. Low-level, nonviolent drug offenders who are not tied to large-scale drug organizations or gangs will not face mandatory minimum sentences.

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta’s announcement last week that he now supports medical marijuana has sparked a debate among drug policy experts. He wrote an online piece, “Why I Changed My Mind on Weed,” which promoted his documentary, “Weed,” that ran on CNN Sunday night.

Federal officials are investigating the use of antipsychotic drugs in children enrolled in Medicaid. The Wall Street Journal reports the probe was sparked by concerns the drugs are being prescribed too often to treat behavior problems in very young children.

For four years of high school, most adults were against teen drinking. They would ground us, punish us, deactivate our cell phones and take away our car keys if they suspected kids were drinking. But after graduation, the adults I know now tell me that drinking is important for the “college experience,” observes one incoming college freshman.

Emergency rooms reported a 300 percent jump in visits related to stimulant abuse among young adults from 2005 to 2011. According to The New York Times, 23,000 people ages 18 to 34 visited the ER in 2011 after taking drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin.

Children today are exposed to significantly less secondhand smoke than they were a decade ago—unless they have asthma, according to a new government report.

Many teens who use smokeless tobacco also smoke cigarettes, according to a national survey of almost 19,000 middle school and high school students.

Wal-Mart is taking steps to significantly boost alcohol sales, Bloomberg News reports. The company is devoting more shelf space to alcohol, offering discounts on beer and doubling the number of company alcohol buyers.

Rural areas are seeing a surge in heroin use, The Wall Street Journal reports. The rise comes as Mexican heroin production has increased in recent years, and as people addicted to prescription painkillers switch to heroin, which is cheaper.

Many outdoor venues, including parks, beaches and college campuses, are banning smoking, according to ABC News. The number of outdoor smoking bans has almost doubled in the last five years.