The Latest News from Our Field

United Parcel Service has agreed to settle an investigation into online pharmacy shipments, The Wall Street Journal reports. The company will forfeit $40 million in payments it received from illicit online pharmacies, and will not be prosecuted.

As a growing number of employers institute policies that ban hiring smokers, medical ethicists debated the policy in the New England Journal of Medicine. One group argues not hiring smokers sends a strong message to employees and the community that smoking is harmful, while the other group calls the practice unethical.

Parents who discuss drinking with their teens before they start college can influence their children’s drinking behavior once they are at school, a new study suggests. A parental talk can reduce the chances that light drinkers will become heavier drinkers, and increase the odds that teens who already drink heavily will reduce their drinking or stop.

A marijuana tourism company is opening in Colorado, the first such business in the nation, according to The Denver Post.

FedEx and UPS say they are targets of a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation into online pharmacy shipments, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Some teenagers appear to be more genetically predisposed than others to become heavy smokers, a new study suggests.

A Colorado state audit released this week finds problems in oversight of the state’s medical marijuana industry, according to The Wall Street Journal. The audit comes soon after a task force issued recommendations on regulating recreational marijuana.

Scientists from British American Tobacco are testing cigarettes that reduce exposure to some toxins in smoke, Time.com reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that police must first obtain a search warrant before bringing drug-sniffing police dogs onto a suspect’s property to look for evidence, the Associated Press reports.

Eighty percent of Border Patrol drug arrests in recent years involved American citizens, according to a new report. The findings are contrary to public perceptions that most drug couriers are Mexican, according to ABC News.

Bills that would require drug testing for welfare applicants advanced in Texas and Kansas this week.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who last week proposed requiring stores to keep tobacco products out of sight, also seeks to establish a minimum price for cigarettes and little cigars, The New York Times reports.

More than 120 presenters are set to lead a national discussion about ways to Make An Impact on the prescription drug abuse epidemic when the 2013 National Rx Drug Abuse Summit convenes in Florida April 2-4, says Karen Kelly of Operation Unite.

Children of divorced parents are more likely to smoke when they reach adulthood, compared with their peers whose parents have stayed together, a new study finds.

A study of mice suggests why some people may be more susceptible than others to alcohol addiction. The findings may one day lead to improved treatments, the researchers say.

As marijuana becomes legal in a growing number of states, for medical or recreational use, businesses are hoping to profit from the trend, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The number of deaths due to oxycodone decreased by 29 percent in Florida in the first six months of 2012, compared with the second half of the previous year, according to a new report.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended the agency approve a drug to treat opioid dependence, but voiced concerns about the safety of the manufacturer’s marketing plan.

Using marijuana in college may increase the risk of leaving school, a new study suggests. Researchers found even students who only used marijuana occasionally were more likely to leave than their peers who did not use drugs.

Energy drinks may increase blood pressure, and lead to changes in the heart’s natural rhythm, according to a study presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association.

Officials in Ohio report Suboxone, used to treat opioid dependence, is being smuggled into prisons in the state, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

The abuse of prescription drugs is well documented, but if we are to expand our fight against prescription drug abuse and want the support of policy makers, it is incumbent upon us to find new sources of revenue that will pay for the changes that must be made, says Andrew Kessler, substance abuse and mental health specialist.

Monster Energy has agreed to market its drinks as beverages, instead of dietary supplements, CNN reports. The company’s decision comes after 18 public health experts asked the Food and Drug Administration to restrict caffeine content in energy drinks.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is hiring contractors who can deploy hazardous waste contamination teams to two sites in Texas, to extract drug packages buried in toxic waste, according to Wired.

Researchers who have developed a secondhand tobacco smoke sensor say their product could be used to enforce no-smoking regulations.