The Latest News from Our Field

Men and women benefit in different ways from Alcoholics Anonymous, a new study suggests.

Drug companies have joined together to oppose a local California law requiring them to run and fund a program that allows consumers to dispose of unused prescription medications, The New York Times reports.

Federal officials are weighing their options for legal action against Washington and Colorado’s new marijuana laws. Such action could undermine the laws, which legalize the recreational use of the drug.

Dozens of people gathered near Seattle’s Space Needle on Thursday to smoke marijuana, as Washington became the first state to legalize recreational use of the drug.

State prescription drug monitoring programs should use advances in health information technology to make the systems easier to use, according to a new government report. The programs should incorporate prescription drug monitoring data into the workflow of doctors and pharmacists, recommends the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

Marketers of e-cigarettes are introducing ad campaigns that borrow ideas from older cigarette commercials, The New York Times reports. The commercials have been accepted by several cable channels, but no broadcast networks have yet agreed to carry them.

A new study concludes that parental involvement is more important than the school environment in preventing or limiting children’s use of alcohol or marijuana.

The federal government missed several important opportunities to improve access to smoking cessation medications and counseling this year, according to a new American Lung Association report. States’ records were more mixed, but many failed to ensure coverage, the group says.

Thousands of prisoners wait months to enter drug education or rehabilitation programs, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. The delay is caused by staff shortages and limited resources.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy has alerted U.S. law enforcement to prepare for a potential influx of painkillers from Canada, which has given approval to six generic drug companies to manufacture oxycodone products.

A poll released Wednesday finds 51 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana. Men and younger voters are more likely to support legalization, Reuters reports.

An increase in cigarette taxes may lead heavy smokers to cut back more than people who smoke fewer cigarettes, a new study suggests.

Genes explain about 60 percent of the risk for alcoholism, while the environment accounts for the rest, according to an expert who has developed a pilot program to prevent high-risk drinking in college freshman.

More than 11,000 people ended up in emergency rooms after using synthetic marijuana in 2010, according to a new government report. Most were teenagers and young adults, USA Today reports.

A new study suggests policies that ban tobacco-product displays at the point of sale may help reduce teen smoking.

Scientists in London have found a genetic variation that may play a role in binge drinking in teenagers, Reuters reports. The two-phase study included mice and teenage boys.

Substance dependence or abuse is much more likely to occur in adults with a mental illness, compared with those without mental health problems, according to a new government report.

The American Psychiatric Association has approved a new edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders that combines substance abuse and dependence into a single category of “substance use and addictive disorders.”

A new study suggests combining the anti-seizure drug topiramate with amphetamines may help treat cocaine addiction.

Kratom, used as a medicinal plant in some countries in Southeast Asia, is increasingly popular as a drug of abuse in South Florida, the Sun Sentinel reports.

Smokers trying to quit may be helped by receiving supportive text messages, a review of studies suggests.

A scientist at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is developing a vaccine designed to treat heroin addiction while at the same time prevent HIV infection.

Drug abuse or heavy drinking can cause long-term changes in the heart, arteries or blood that increase the risk of stroke in young adults, a new study finds.

Across Colorado and Washington state, communities are taking varying approaches to newly approved laws that legalize small amounts of recreational use of marijuana for adults.

Legislators in Washington, D.C., are proposing a ban on synthetic drugs, The Washington Times reports. More than 40 states have banned synthetic marijuana and/or bath salts.