The Latest News from Our Field

A new survey finds many parents favor either legalizing marijuana for recreational use, or decriminalizing the drug, while 70 percent support legalizing medical marijuana. Most parents say the legal age for marijuana use should be 21, USA Today reports.

The “Above the Influence” drug and alcohol prevention campaign, formerly funded through federal money, will shift from expensive television ads to lower-cost digital and social media campaigns, The New York Times reports. The campaign will concentrate on reaching teens where they spend time, such as Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook.

The Obama Administration has embraced the concept of drug courts, which provide nonviolent drug offenders with treatment instead of incarceration. But critics of the system say the courts could end up costing more money and lead to longer sentences for some offenders, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Under the Affordable Care Act, smokers can be charged a higher premium than nonsmokers. Smokers who obtain their insurance through an individual plan will not benefit from a provision in the law that allows smokers in small group plans to avoid the higher premiums if they participate in a smoking cessation program, NPR reports.

Majorities of voters in both Colorado and Washington State passed ballot initiatives approving marijuana for recreational use this past November, and in each state, lawmakers have struggled to implement a post-legalization regulatory framework that makes sense, and that protects children and teens.

Boys who are exposed to family violence become more aggressive toward their classmates, and this behavior is linked with greater levels of substance abuse over time, according to a new study.

People who cut back on the number of cigarettes they smoke, instead of quitting entirely, won’t lengthen their life, a new study finds.

A report by Wisconsin’s State Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse urges lawmakers to pass a Good Samaritan Law to reduce opioid overdose deaths. The law would allow a person with a prescription for the opioid overdose antidote naloxone to use it on a friend.

Addiction treatment providers in northern California are finding it difficult to treat the many meth users seeking help, at a time when their resources are shrinking, The Fresno Bee reports.

A child’s personality traits before age 5 may help predict whether they will use alcohol in adolescence, a new study suggests.

Substance abuse experts are concerned that the new recreational marijuana law in Washington state will allow the sale of hash, a strong and potentially dangerous marijuana extract, the Associated Press reports.

The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy announced there has been a 41 percent decrease in worldwide cocaine production since 2001, and a 10 percent drop from the previous year.

A four-week stress-reduction program that includes yoga-based breathing techniques can help teens gain better control of their impulsive behavior, a new study suggests. The researchers say lack of impulsivity control in teens is associated with substance abuse and other risky behaviors.

The Affordable Care Act will provide many new opportunities for peer recovery support services, according to Faces & Voices of Recovery, which advocates for people in recovery from addiction.

The Justice Department is asking for changes to sentencing guidelines that would provide reduced or alternative sentences for less serious drug crimes, USA Today reports.

People who are both smokers and heavy drinkers have a faster decline in brain function, compared with those who don’t smoke and who drink moderately, a new study suggests. Smoking and heavy drinking is associated with a 36 percent quicker decline in cognitive function.

Smoking rates among teens are the lowest they have been since the U.S. government began keeping track, according to a new report. Just 5 percent of high school sophomores said they smoked cigarettes every day in the previous month, compared with 18 percent at one point in the 1990s.

A New Jersey congressman announced this week he will introduce legislation aimed at reducing prescription drug abuse among Medicare participants. Frank Pallone, Jr., is proposing to increase the requirements for verifying the validity of prescriptions before Medicare pays for the drugs.

The active ingredient in the synthetic drug known as bath salts could be more addictive than methamphetamine, a new study in rats suggests.

Women are more likely to describe intoxication with moderate words such as “tipsy” or “buzzed,” while men tend to use harsher words such as “hammered” or “wasted,” according to a new study.

School anti-alcohol policies are more effective when students think they are being enforced, researchers at the University of Washington have found. Students’ perceptions of the policies’ enforcement are more important than the details of the policies.

Drug abuse prevention advocates are calling on Washington state officials to tighten regulations to make marijuana-laced treats less attractive to children, according to Reuters. Cookies, candy and beverages containing the drug will be sold in the state starting next year.

A system of largely unregulated group homes provides poor living conditions to people throughout the country who are grappling with substance abuse, homelessness and a return to life after prison, according to Salon.com.

Experts are debating the safety of medical marijuana for children, NBC News reports. A number of states allow doctors to recommend a type of cannabis that doesn’t produce a high for children with conditions including cancer, seizures and autism.

Teens and young adults who are treated in the emergency room for injury from an assault, who own or carry a gun, are more likely to have problems with substance abuse and aggressive behavior than those without guns, a new study finds.