The Latest News from Our Field

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.

Ambulance calls from casinos dropped significantly in Colorado after the state extended its smoke-free law to casino floors, a new study concludes.

Officials in Baton Rouge, Louisiana say a growing number of packages containing illegal drugs are being sent through the U.S. mail and private delivery services, the Associated Press reports.

Join Together speaks with Greg Williams, producer of "The Anonymous People," an independent documentary about the over 23 million Americans living in long-term recovery from addiction.

A new study of high school seniors finds 20 percent say they have engaged in binge drinking in the last two weeks. Ten percent say they have had 10 or more drinks on one occasion, known as extreme binge drinking.

Police made more than 1.5 million arrests last year for drug abuse violations, according to data released Monday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Marijuana offenses accounted for 48.3 percent of drug arrests, according to U.S. News & World Report.

A new app that measures a person’s blood alcohol level will be released in October, Reuters reports. The app works through a device that plugs into the headphone jack of a smartphone.

Naloxone, a drug that blocks the effects of opioids including heroin and oxycodone, has stopped 2,000 overdoses in Massachusetts in the last six years, state officials announced.

The number of people suspected of being sickened by synthetic marijuana in Colorado has risen to 150, NPR reports. Last week, the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control said they were investigating three deaths and 75 hospitalizations potentially caused by the drug.

Children who develop language earlier may be at increased risk of alcohol problems later in life, a new study suggests.

Cigarette smoking may be particularly dangerous for obese people, a new animal study suggests. Researchers found cigarette smoke may affect metabolism, and could increase the risk of cancer in obese people more than in their thinner counterparts.

A number of colleges in Pennsylvania are taking steps to reduce alcohol use among students, according to the Associated Press.

In the second of a two-part series, Join Together speaks with Barry Meier, New York Times reporter and author of the new e-book, “A World of Hurt: Fixing Pain Medicine's Biggest Mistake,” about the alternatives to long-term opioid use for treating pain.

A new study finds a higher percentage of high school seniors say they have driven after using marijuana than after having five or more alcoholic drinks.

Drinking can change a person’s view of intoxicated driving, according to a new study. A person who normally disapproves of drunk driving may change their view once they have had a few drinks.

Much of the research that concludes energy drinks are not harmful has been funded by Red Bull, says an expert who warns the findings of these studies may downplay the drinks’ dangers.

The California Senate passed two bills designed to fight prescription drug abuse and overdose deaths, the Los Angeles Times reports. The bills, which were passed unanimously, now await Governor Jerry Brown’s signature.

The number of people seeking addiction treatment could double under the Affordable Care Act, the Associated Press reports. Under the new law, four million people with drug and alcohol problems will become eligible for insurance coverage.

The Drug Enforcement Administration said this week that a new cold medicine must be kept behind pharmacy counters because it can be used to make methamphetamine. The medicine, Zephrex-D, contains a new form of pseudoephedrine that the drug’s maker says is difficult to use to make meth.