The Latest News from Our Field

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.

Adults living in low-income neighborhoods are generally more likely to be non-drinkers, compared with people living in higher income areas—except for black and Hispanic men, a new study concludes.

The presence of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, estimated to number between 500 and 1,000, makes it simple to obtain the drug for recreational use, according to critics of the storefronts. The City Council last week repealed a ban on the dispensaries that it had recently passed.

Tennessee state officials are studying drug-testing programs for welfare recipients in six other states, as they shape their own program, The Tennessean reports.

Six young men—five of them teenagers--developed kidney failure after using synthetic marijuana in recent months, health officials in Oregon and Washington report.

The U.S. Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to rehear a case about the Food and Drug Administration’s requirement that tobacco companies place graphic labels on cigarette packages to warn about smoking’s health dangers. In August, a three-judge appeals court panel affirmed a lower court ruling that blocked the mandate.

The 27th annual “Red Ribbon Week,” October 23-31, will raise awareness about drug prevention around the country. Families can get involved this year by entering a contest to promote awareness in their neighborhoods, and win a drug prevention grant for their children’s school.

The scientific nonprofit group that sets standards for medicine safety is proposing reworking and standardizing medication labels, in an effort to reduce potentially dangerous medication mix-ups.

Marines cited for drunk driving and other drinking-related incidents will be required to participate in a new program that focuses on early intervention, according to the Marine Corps Times.

Substance abuse treatment providers must take steps now to get ready for the influx of new patients they will begin to see in January 2014 as a result of the Affordable Care Act, according to an expert speaking at the National Conference on Addiction Disorders.

President Obama signed into law a measure that doubles sentences for pharmacy robberies, to 20 years, the Daily News reports.

More doctors are prescribing stimulants for students who are struggling in low-income schools, The New York Times reports. Many of these children, who do not have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, receive the drugs to increase their academic performance.

Mothers with an authoritative parenting style can influence the friends of their teenagers, making it less likely they will get drunk, or smoke cigarettes or marijuana, suggests a new study.

A new study finds that enrollment in smoking cessation programs jumped 10-fold in the Netherlands during one year when the government paid for them.

One of the biggest points of contention about marijuana is whether or not it can be considered medicine, according to Kevin Sabet, PhD, Policy Consultant and Assistant Professor, University of Florida. He says that while smoked crude marijuana is not medicine, marijuana does have medicinal properties – found in its individual components.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has collected a total of two million pounds of unused prescription medications during its five National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days, the agency announced Thursday.

A new study links smoking in adolescence with an increased risk of early death due to smoking-related cancer or heart disease. Teen smokers have a higher risk of early death even if they stop smoking by middle age.

The national chain Family Dollar is getting into tobacco in a big way, CSPnet.com reports. The chain, with 7,200 stores nationwide, is introducing a four-foot tobacco display to 6,000 of its stores by the end of the year.

In the wake of a recent scandal involving alcohol and prostitutes, the Secret Service has announced a new policy that bans agents from drinking alcohol in the hotel where the president or other protected persons are staying.