The Latest News from Our Field

A new study by Harvard researchers finds former smokers have an increased risk of developing two common types of inflammatory bowel disease, compared with people who have never smoked.

A federal appeals court has upheld a federal judge’s order that requires tobacco manufacturers to run corrective ads about the dangers of smoking, the Associated Press reports.

A pilot program in Ohio is using fingerprint scans in an effort to fight prescription drug abuse. Patients submit to a scan before seeing doctors in one hospital system, while several pharmacies are using the scans for patients filling prescriptions.

Some trucking companies are using hair tests to test drivers for drug use, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Medical marijuana may worsen driving skills, but typical sobriety tests do not detect the impairment, a small study suggests.

Tobacco manufacturers have promoted menthol cigarettes as a safer alternative to regular cigarettes. The FDA needs to do the right thing and ban menthol, for adults who currently smoke and young people who may be susceptible to initiating smoking, explains Amber E. Bullock of Legacy®.

Some doctors are concerned that making it more difficult to prescribe opioids could hinder treatment of patients in pain, ABC News reports. Earlier this week, 37 health care workers signed and submitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration, urging officials to change labels on prescription opioids, in an effort to curb prescription drug abuse.

After the Los Angeles City Council voted this week to shut down the city’s 762 marijuana dispensaries, medical marijuana advocates said they will work to overturn the ban.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has announced it is awarding more than $22 million in new funding to expand implementing screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment. This is an innovative approach to delivering early intervention and treatment services for people with substance use disorders and those at risk for developing them.

A new study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health finds that fewer people die when states expand their Medicaid programs.

Local and federal law enforcement officials raided businesses in almost 100 cities on Wednesday, in the first nationwide crackdown on synthetic drugs, USA Today reports.

A group of doctors and public health experts has asked the Food and Drug Administration to change prescription guidelines for opioids, to prevent prescription drug abuse, according to Reuters.

A researcher at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research has been awarded a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop a vaccine that would treat heroin addiction and protect against HIV.

A growing number of U.S. colleges are adopting smoking bans. The Christian Science Monitor reports that many schools have adopted total bans, both indoors and out.

A study funded by the National Institutes of Health is seeking people in recovery from an alcohol or drug problem to participate in a web-based survey. The researchers hope the study will help dispel the stigma that those in recovery face.

A report by the Congressional Budget Office concludes the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act is likely to result in an increase in the number of uninsured Americans.

A new rodent study suggests that a key ingredient in “bath salts” called mephedrone has effects on the brain’s reward circuits that are comparable to similar doses of cocaine. The study offers evidence that mephedrone has the potential for abuse and addiction, the researchers say.

Drug companies must pay to dispose of unused prescription medications, under a plan approved Tuesday in Northern California. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the ordinance, the Associated Press reports.

Addiction experts are looking at exercise as a potential non-drug treatment for various types of substance abuse. One study at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston is examining whether exercise can treat people who are dependent on both cocaine and nicotine.

A coordinated strategy aimed at high-risk college drinking can be effective, a new study suggests. The strategy addresses alcohol availability, policy enforcement and perceptions about the rate of high-risk drinking among peers.

Kentucky lawmakers may consider modifying a state law that requires doctors to use a prescription monitoring database for opioid pain medication, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

Law enforcement at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, has prohibited a new synthetic drug called “Pump-It! Powder.” A warning issued at the Army installation notes the drug can cause convulsions, paranoia, chest pains or increased heart rate that can cause cardiac arrest.

A new study finds about one in 10 U.S. employers say they plan to cut health coverage for workers over the next several years, as the bulk of health care reform regulations are implemented.

The popular synthetic drug methylone, a key ingredient in “bath salts,” is simple to order online from China, experts tell The Virginian-Pilot.

A new Nebraska law permits sales of hard liquor, wine and beer at convenience stores, supermarkets and other outlets beginning at 6 a.m. on Sundays. In Iowa, gas stations and convenience stores no longer need separate wings to sell alcohol.