The Latest News from Our Field

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear approved legislation this week that modifies the state’s new prescription drug law, to make it easier for patients in hospitals, nursing homes and hospice centers to receive painkillers.

People receiving welfare benefits in Louisiana will not be able to spend the money on alcohol, cigarettes or lottery tickets, the state’s social services department has announced.

A series of protests outside four liquor stores in Whiteclay, Nebraska, which sell alcohol to Native Americans from the Pine Ridge Reservation in neighboring South Dakota, are highlighting the problem of alcohol abuse among members of the Oglala Lakota tribe.

A new potential treatment for marijuana dependence, and the success of network therapy, which engages family and friends in a patient’s substance abuse treatment, were two of the topics discussed at the recent annual meeting of the New York Society of Addiction Medicine. This is the second of a two-part report on the meeting, “Addiction Medicine 2013: Emerging Problems, Current Treatment.”

Alcohol is the third leading cause of disease and injury worldwide, even though the majority of adults do not drink, a new study concludes.

Monster Energy on Monday said its medical investigators did not find any evidence the company’s drinks caused the death of a 14-year-old girl, Reuters reports.

The number of medical marijuana dispensaries in Colorado has declined 40 percent in the past several years, The Denver Post reports. The industry faces challenges from the federal government, as well as shrinking profit margins.

Heroin use is on the rise in Missouri, according to a new report to be released Tuesday. Many people using heroin have switched from more expensive opioid pills, according to The Kansas City Star.

Following decades of success for drug courts at the state level, federal judges around the nation are collaborating with prosecutors to create the special treatment programs for defendants who are addicted to drugs, The New York Times reports.

Some tobacco companies are putting the type of clay used in cat litter into cigars to increase their weight, thereby allowing them to pay less tax, Bloomberg reports.

There is disagreement among doctors about the best way to prevent prescription painkiller abuse, sometimes even among physicians in the same hospital, according to The Plain Dealer. The Cleveland Clinic is among the institutions where colleagues disagree on the best approach to the problem.

A Massachusetts woman is suing FedEx, claiming the company accidentally shipped a seven-pound box of marijuana to her, then gave her address to drug dealers looking for the package.

New formulations of Suboxone, and crystal meth’s impact on the gay community were two of the topics discussed at the recent annual meeting of the New York Society of Addiction Medicine. This is the first of a two-part report on the meeting, “Addiction Medicine 2013: Emerging Problems, Current Treatment.”

One-fifth of U.S. adult smokers have tried e-cigarettes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week.

Women who start smoking early in life are at increased risk of breast cancer, a new study concludes. Previous studies on smoking and breast cancer have produced conflicting results, HealthDay reports.

A California state senator has proposed legislation that would allow misdemeanor charges to be filed in cases of simple possession of heroin and cocaine, instead of felony charges.

The Iowa Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy is trying to find ways to stay one step ahead of synthetic marijuana manufacturers.

Youth who become active in Alcoholics Anonymous-related helping while they are in treatment are less likely to test positive for alcohol and drugs during treatment, a new study finds.

A study by the American Cancer Society estimates 12,000 deaths annually could be avoided in the United States among the highest risk smokers and former smokers through a national lung cancer screening program.

Male heavy drinkers arrested for domestic violence, who participate in a therapy session devoted to alcohol, were less aggressive toward their partners in the months after the counseling, according to a new study.

Two proposed constitutional amendments that would legalize medical marijuana are being debated in Ohio, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which makes it easier to gain access to substance abuse and mental health treatment, has increased care, but at an added cost, a new study concludes.

Children whose mothers are diagnosed with an alcohol disorder in pregnancy, or within a year after giving birth, are three times more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, compared with infants whose mothers do not have an alcohol disorder, a new study finds.

A new study links substance abuse, early exposure to violence and chaotic family life, to teenage violence in one Denver neighborhood. The study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is part of a five-year effort to classify risk factors that promote teen violence.

A Colorado task force making recommendations on how to regulate marijuana has called for the drug to be sold in child-proof packaging, according to The Denver Post.