The Latest News from Our Field

An experimental anti-cocaine vaccine blocks the drug from reaching the brain, according to a study of non-human primates. Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York say human trials of the vaccine may begin within a year.

Colleges that are part of a national program to reduce binge drinking among students say the first two years have been productive. More schools will join the initiative in June.

Massachusetts will soon bring drug-sniffing dogs to 17 state prisons, according to Boston Magazine. The dogs will sniff visiting areas and visitors.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s second annual National Prevention Week begins on Sunday, May 12. This national health observance, which continues through May 18, aims to increase public awareness of, and action around, substance abuse and mental health issues.

Pregnant teens, who are more likely than pregnant adults to face medical issues, face a host of additional challenges if they are also being treated for substance abuse, a new government report finds.

Children whose parents are addicted to drugs or alcohol are more likely to be depressed as adults, a new study suggests.

Florida is launching a new initiative to tackle the growing problem of newborns exposed to prescription drugs, The Miami Herald reports.

New Jersey officials report a rise in heroin addiction, drug-related crime and deaths among young people in suburbs. Many became addicted to prescription painkillers, and switched to heroin because it is cheaper, potent and widely available.

Thanks to you, we are gaining momentum to put a stop to Urban Outfitters selling products made to look like prescription pill bottles!

Older teens and young adults with mental health issues who participate in community-based treatment programs report lower levels of substance use disorders, a new government report finds.

The American College of Chest Physicians this week recommended that older, heavy smokers receive annual low-dose CT scans to detect lung cancer, according to Reuters.

Legislators in Colorado on Wednesday passed the first laws regulating the state’s recreational marijuana market, which will take effect in January 2014. Governor John Hickenlooper is expected to sign them by early June, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Hal Rogers, on Monday called on Urban Outfitters to stop selling products designed to look like prescription pill bottles, the Associated Press reports.

Synthetic marijuana use during pregnancy can lead to symptoms similar to those caused by dangerous conditions known as preeclampsia and eclampsia, California doctors report.

Patient safety experts are urging hospitals to require physicians to have random drug and alcohol tests. The tests should also be conducted if a patient dies suddenly or is injured unexpectedly during surgery, they write in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Nine “recovery courts” will be created in Tennessee to combat substance abuse and mental health issues, state officials announced this week. They will combine services currently found in drug courts, mental health courts and veterans courts.

The Neurological Center for Pain’s Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program at the Cleveland Clinic has created a Chemical Education Track designed specifically for patients with chronic non-cancer pain who also have a therapeutic opioid addiction. Initial results are promising.

Scientists have blocked heroin addiction relapse in rats using a vaccine, according to U.S. News & World Report. They hope the vaccine will be ready for human testing later this year.

Former President Bill Clinton this week pledged his foundation will work with the New York Police Department and other partners to address prescription drug abuse, with a focus on college students.

The soon-to-be-released update of the manual used to diagnose mental illness lacks scientific validity, says the director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

The California Supreme Court on Monday ruled local governments can outlaw medical marijuana dispensaries, according to Reuters.

More than a dozen drug companies are working on abuse-resistant painkillers, in the wake of the Food and Drug Administration’s decision last month not to approve any generic versions of the original form of OxyContin.

Law enforcement officials who are trying to crack down on the growing problem of nitrous oxide abuse have limited options to punish people who sell the gas to those who use it to get high, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

A California veterinarian is advocating using medical marijuana to help improve the quality of life for some pets with untreatable conditions, according to ABC News.

Fifty percent more pills were collected during the latest National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, compared with the previous event in 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced.