The Latest News from Our Field

A federal judge ruled Thursday that the New York Police Department policy of administering a breathalyzer test to any officer whose use of a weapon results in injury or death is constitutional.

The Supreme Court on Thursday largely upheld the constitutionality of the Obama Administration’s health care law. The mandate was upheld as a tax, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The manufacturer of the painkiller OxyContin is trying to extend its exclusive rights to the drug, which is set to go off patent in 2013, The Wall Street Journal reports. Purdue Pharma LP says a reformulated version of the drug may substantially decrease abuse of the opioid.

A new vaccine successfully blocks nicotine addiction in mice, CBS News reports.

West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw announced the state is suing 14 drug wholesalers, in an effort to block distribution routes for “pill mills.”

Drug abuse kills about 200,000 people worldwide each year, according to a new United Nations (UN) report. Global treatment for drug abuse would cost $250 billion per year if everyone who needed help received proper care, according to the UN.

Lung cancer deaths are rising among women born after 1950 in the South and Midwest, according to a new study. Cigarette advertising aimed at women in the 1960s and 1970s may have contributed to the increase, the researchers say.

A new study finds a link between DNA changes in the sperm of male smokers and genetic changes in their newborn children. The research suggests that these changes may increase children’s risk of developing genetic diseases.

A physician accused of prescribing drugs to three young men who died of overdoses was ordered to stand trial for second-degree murder, the Associated Press reports.

Recent findings indicate that students who smoke marijuana during college may be risking longer-term health says Amelia Arria, PhD, scientific director of the Parents Translational Research Center.

Only about one in 10 people who need treatment for addiction to drugs or alcohol receive it, according to a new report. Many who do receive treatment do not receive evidence-based care, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

A new study finds prescription painkiller abuse jumped 75 percent between 2002 and 2010. Men and adults ages 26 to 49 were most likely to abuse prescription painkillers.

A popular form of weight-loss surgery may increase the risk of alcohol abuse, The New York Times reports.

Adults who are exposed to secondhand smoke have an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, compared with nonsmokers, a new study suggests.

A measure to raise the cigarette tax by $1 per pack in California failed by less than one percentage point after the vote was deemed too close to call for more than two weeks, the Associated Press reports.

Pregnant women who are being treated for heroin dependence with methadone can be persuaded to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke through monetary incentives, a new study suggests.

The U.S. Coast Guard launched “Operation Dry Water” this weekend, a nationwide annual campaign to call attention to the dangers of boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

A decreased interest in food is associated with a greater interest in novelty-seeking behavior and cocaine use, a mouse study suggests.

Implementation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 has been slow, but there are small signs of progress, according to a coalition that aims to ensure that the law is properly enforced.

A pilot program to expand and improve access to prescription drug records for physicians, pharmacists and emergency departments is being launched in Ohio and Indiana, the Department of Health and Human Services announced.

The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that recent changes to penalties for crimes that involve crack cocaine, which make sentences more lenient, can be applied retroactively.

Almost half of adults with a drunk driving conviction said they had been struggling with heavy drinking for a long time, or had resumed heavy drinking after trying to reduce their alcohol use, a new study finds.

A national ad campaign, called “Tips From Former Smokers,” doubled the volume of calls to a nationwide smoking cessation hotline, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Tobacco giant Philip Morris International announced it will sell a new type of cigarette with lower health risks by 2017, Bloomberg News reports.

A study of twins suggests that genetics plays a major role in whether a person taking opioids is at increased risk of addiction, or will suffer unpleasant side effects from the drugs.