The Latest News from Our Field

States’ efforts to crack down on prescription drug abuse are being made more difficult by people who travel to states such as Florida and Georgia to obtain painkillers, the Associated Press reports.

Women who suffered physical or emotional abuse in their youth are more likely to smoke than women who did not suffer such adverse childhood experiences, a new study suggests.

Officials in Alameda County, California, approved a measure this week that would force pharmaceutical companies selling drugs in parts of the San Francisco Bay area to submit plans for safely disposing of unused medications, or incinerating them.

In one neonatal intensive care unit in Tennessee, almost half of the babies are going through withdrawal from prescription pills, ABC News reports.

Two senators introduced a bill this week designed to prevent the abuse of cough syrup by teenagers. The bill restricts the sale of products containing the cough syrup ingredient dextromethorphan to those older than 18.

A new study finds that OxyContin abuse has decreased now that the painkiller has been reformulated to make it more difficult to misuse. Many people who abused the drug have switched to heroin, the researchers report in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine.

A federal law signed by President Obama this week that bans synthetic drugs may not be effective in reducing use of the products, several experts tell NPR.

Smokers who quit gain an average of 10 to 11 pounds after one year, with most of the weight gain occurring in the first three months, a new study finds.

The rise in popularity of the painkiller Opana illustrates the challenges facing law enforcement authorities, addiction specialists and pharmaceutical companies trying to tackle prescription drug abuse, USA Today reports.

Substance abuse is a growing problem among older Americans, and the nation’s health care system is not prepared to adequately address the need, according to a report by the Institute of Medicine.

An Ohio law that recently went into effect in Ohio allows families to seek involuntary addiction treatment for a loved one—if the family agrees to pay for it.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine on Tuesday announced a plan to fight prescription drug thefts in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month on the Affordable Care Act is a victory for people with substance use disorder and mental health needs, according to the Legal Action Center, an advocacy group that provides legal assistance to people in recovery or still suffering from addiction. But much work remains to be done at the state level to assure adequate coverage, the group says.

Physicians and other prescribers will not be required to take educational courses under a new government plan aimed at reducing prescription drug abuse. The Wall Street Journal reports the plan does compel the makers of extended-release painkillers to fund courses for doctors and provide safety information to patients.

President Obama on Monday signed legislation that bans synthetic drugs. The law also expedites the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of new drugs and medical devices.

Concerns over alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes and deaths are spurring some local efforts to ban drive-up or drive-through liquor sales, USA Today reports.

Children ages 10 to 14 who view many movies with characters who smoke are more likely to try cigarettes themselves, a new study suggests.

The number of states enacting or considering laws that bar welfare recipients from using their benefits on liquor or cigarettes is growing, USA Today reports. Many of the measures also bar spending on gambling, guns or strip clubs.

The maker of OxyContin has announced it will study the safety of the painkiller in children, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Methadone causes 30 percent of prescription painkiller overdose deaths, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some doctors are now prescribing methadone to treat chronic problems such as back pain, which is making the drug more widely available.

Teenagers are more likely to start smoking cigarettes or marijuana in June or July than in any other month, according to a new government study.

Three-quarters of teenage patients in substance abuse treatment programs in Denver, Colorado said they used someone else’s medical marijuana, according to a new study.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act is extremely uplifting for the substance abuse field, according to A. Thomas McLellan, PhD, CEO of the Treatment Research Institute and former Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Three current members of the U.S. House, joined by two former members, argued this week that health insurers are trying to take advantage of customers by decreasing coverage of mental health and addiction treatment.

The U.S. Senate passed a bill outlawing synthetic drugs this week, and awaits President Obama’s signature, The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.