The Latest News from Our Field

A new study on rats suggests the experience of becoming a mother may change a female’s response to cocaine, dampening the drug’s effects.

A new study adds to evidence about the detrimental effects of secondhand smoke on children’s health. The study suggests exposure to cigarette smoke increases babies’ risk of developing asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Both critics and supporters of a measure on the November ballot that would legalize small amounts of marijuana possession for those over age 21 in Colorado say the state could see an influx of “marijuana tourists” if the initiative passes.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is focusing on drug distributors in an effort to fight prescription painkiller abuse, The New York Times reports. In the past, the agency has tried tactics including arresting doctors and closing pharmacies.

Teenagers and young adults are abusing prescription painkillers at a rate 40 percent higher than what would be expected for their age group, a new study finds.

Officials at Chicago O’Hare’s international mail facility report an increase in shipments of synthetic drugs from China and Europe. Some of these drugs are extremely potent, according to the New York Daily News.

Alcohol’s damaging effect on the brain can begin to subside two weeks after a person stops drinking, a new study suggests. Recovery may vary among different areas of the brain, the researchers say.

Alcohol dependence is more likely than smoking to increase death rates among women, a new study finds.

A new study in Kentucky links sales of cold medicine products containing pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in methamphetamine, with meth lab busts. The study found each 13 grams of the decongestant sold per 100 residents was associated with one additional meth lab.

The marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access asked a federal appeals court this week to force the Drug Enforcement Administration to hold a hearing to consider research on the drug’s benefits. The group wants marijuana reclassified so it is no longer considered a dangerous drug with no medical value.

A new study links weight loss surgery with an increased risk for substance abuse. The study found patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery were at increased risk for alcohol use after the procedure.

Web-based programs are proving to be an innovative and powerful adjunct to addiction treatment, according to an expert on Internet treatment strategies. However, they are not meant to replace face-to-face addiction treatment, notes Paul Radkowski, CEO/Clinical Director at Life Recovery Program in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

While illicit drug use has decreased in most large American cities, prescription drug abuse has climbed, according to a new study.

Proponents of marijuana legalization measures in Oregon, Washington and Colorado have attracted some conservative backers with arguments about states’ rights and a mistrust of federal government, the Associated Press reports.

U.S. tobacco manufacturers objected on Monday to the requirement that they run corrective ads about the dangers of smoking. They told a federal judge they should not be forced to tell the public they lied about the health effects of “light” cigarettes, or that they manipulated nicotine levels to make cigarettes more addictive.

Face-to-face interventions are more effective than computer-delivered programs to curb college drinking, a new study finds.

A health campaign called the “American Medicine Chest Challenge” aims to educate the public about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. The campaign also provides safe options for disposing of prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

Veterans who smoke while trying to stop drinking have a more difficult time becoming sober than their peers who don’t smoke, a new study concludes.

Disagreements have arisen on both sides of the debate about a measure that would legalize recreational use of marijuana in Washington state, The New York Times reports. The divisions are making it difficult to predict the outcome.

Florida needs more resources to help the many newborns exposed to opioids, experts told a statewide task force. They said the number of such babies far exceeds the number of treatment beds available for mothers addicted to prescription drugs, and their newborns.

People who suffer from both mental illness and a substance use disorder often receive care from two very different types of systems, creating confusion for patients, their families and clinicians, says Ken Duckworth, MD, Medical Director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Injecting the painkiller Opana ER can lead to a serious blood disorder that can result in kidney failure or death, the Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday.

As United States law enforcement cracks down on methamphetamine producers, Mexican drug cartels are filling the void, according to the Associated Press. Cheap, very potent Mexican meth is appearing in American cities across the country.

Over the past 25 years, an estimated 240,000 people in Washington state have been arrested for marijuana possession, according to a study by an advocacy group. The study was released as Washington voters are considering a measure on the November ballot to legalize and tax marijuana sales at state-sanctioned stores.

The company that manufactures OxyContin is using a variety of ways to combat the abuse and diversion of prescription drugs. Purdue Pharma is monitoring drug counterfeiting and Internet distribution, analyzing pharmacy robberies and thefts, tracking the drug supply chain, and using unique tablet markings, phillyBurbs.com reports.