The Latest News from Our Field

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat opioid addiction that combines buprenorphine and naloxone. The drug, Zubsolv, is similar to Subutex and Suboxone, according to Reuters.

A growing number of small, inexpensive personal devices measure a person’s blood alcohol level, providing drivers with an easier way to assess their fitness to drive. Experts warn the devices do not guarantee a person can drive safely, The New York Times reports.

California lawmakers are debating whether to include e-cigarettes in bans on smoking in public places, the Los Angeles Times reports.

In an important step forward for victims of the past predatory marketing practices of Big Tobacco, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued last week its decision in Evans v. Lorillard, upholding $35 million in compensatory damages against Lorillard, the makers of mentholated Newport cigarettes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it has shut down 1,677 illegal online pharmacies, CNN reports. The websites sold counterfeit or substandard medications, or sold drugs without appropriate safeguards.

A single dose of Ritalin may help improve brain function in people addicted to cocaine, according to a small study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

A study of youth exposure to alcohol finds 37 percent of children in one Pennsylvania county had tasted alcohol by age 8, and two-thirds had tried it by the time they were 12.

Methamphetamine is being smuggled across the border in record amounts at San Diego’s San Ysidro port of entry, the Associated Press reports. The increase in part reflects a shift in meth production to Mexico after the United States cracked down on domestic labs.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and authorities in three other countries announced the arrests of dozens of people on Wednesday involved in trafficking designer drugs such as bath salts and synthetic marijuana.

As the workday grows ever longer, an increasing number of companies are offering alcohol as an office perk, according to The Wall Street Journal. Employment lawyers say the trend can lead to problems including drunk driving, assault, sexual harassment or rape.

U.S. National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske told an international meeting this week that legalizing drugs will not be a “silver bullet” that will make organized crime disappear.

Smoke-related chemical residues, known as thirdhand smoke, may cause damage to DNA in human cells, new research suggests. DNA damage is considered one of the first steps in the development of cancer.

The increasing popularity of designer drugs is an alarming public health problem, according to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The number of new synthetic drugs rose by more than 50 percent in less than three years, the report states.

Doctors’ attitudes about opioids are closely related to how often they prescribe the painkillers, a new study suggests.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday announced it had authorized the sale of two new cigarette products and rejected four others. It is the first time the agency has exercised its power to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products since it was given that authority in 2009.

The risk of concussion is three to five times higher for teenagers who use marijuana or alcohol, compared with their peers who do not smoke marijuana or drink, according to a new study.

A new survey of young people ages 10 to 18 finds 35 percent think prescription stimulant abuse is a big problem with their peers, and 15 percent said they had used stimulants at some point. One-tenth of kids said they had diverted medications in some way.

Disrupting memories of past drinking, by blocking a pathway in the brain linked to learning and memories, may help reduce alcoholic relapse, a study of rats suggests.

The United States Conference of Mayors on Monday urged the federal government to allow states to decide their own marijuana policies.

New research suggests e-cigarettes may help some smokers quit. The study of smokers with no desire to quit found up to 13 percent were not smoking regular cigarettes after one year of using the electronic devices.

Methamphetamine use is on the rise in Minneapolis/St. Paul, while heroin remains the most widely used illegal drug in the Twin Cities area, according to a new report.

People who take “Molly,” the powder or crystal form of MDMA, the chemical used in Ecstasy, don’t know what they are actually ingesting, experts say. They warn many powders sold as Molly do not contain any MDMA.

Many Medicaid programs make it difficult for people addicted to opioids to receive medications to treat their addiction, according to a new report. The American Society of Addiction Medicine says private insurance companies also are restricting access to these treatments.

Medicare paid for prescriptions for drugs, including controlled substances such as oxycodone, written by professionals including massage therapists, home health aides and veterinarians, who were not authorized to do so, ABC News reports.

Smoking is vastly undertreated, compared with other chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure, a new study concludes.