The Latest News from Our Field

A new simulation program is teaching young drivers about the risks of drunk and distracted driving. The program is designed to demonstrate what can happen if they have an accident while they are driving under the influence or texting while driving.

North Carolina legislators are considering allowing liquor stores to open on Labor Day, when an estimated 35,000 people will be in Charlotte for the Democratic National Convention.

The increase in prescription drug abuse is fueling a rise in heroin addiction, NBC News reports. A growing number of young people who start abusing expensive prescription drugs are switching to heroin, which is cheaper and easier to buy.

Alcohol consumption can lead to increased social stress and poor grades in teens, a new study shows.

A bill passed by the New York Senate would prohibit welfare recipients from spending their benefits on alcohol and cigarettes. The bill, which passed 56-3, also bans spending of benefits on gambling and strip clubs.

A growing number of Floridians in their 50s are entering publicly funded substance abuse treatment programs, according to a new report.

According to Legacy President and CEO Dr. Cheryl Healton, lung cancer -- the No. 1 cancer killer in our nation for men and women alike -- carries a lot of baggage beyond what is often a devastating diagnosis for the patient and their loved ones.

Pharmacist groups and drug chains have successfully lobbied against stricter controls on prescription painkillers, The New York Times reports. The proposed controls would have applied to hydrocodone products.

Use of drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children jumped 46 percent from 2002 to 2010, according to a new report in the journal Pediatrics.

Smokers are more likely to recall information from graphic cigarette warning labels than text-only warnings, a new study finds.

Two types of state laws can help reduce the risk of teens’ drinking and driving, a new study suggests.

Parents are finding it more difficult to have discussions with their children about why they shouldn’t use drugs, as a growing number of states are allowing medical marijuana, or considering legalizing recreational use of the drug, the Associated Press reports.

A new hand-held laser device, which can immediately identify illegal drugs, could be a big help to police in investigating and prosecuting narcotics cases, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Pain patches are slowly gaining in popularity in the United States, where 88 percent of pain relief comes in the form of pills.

Almost one-quarter of people who call into the New York State Smoker’s Quitline also report hazardous drinking, according to a new study. Researchers say the findings suggest that smoking cessation hotlines can provide valuable brief alcohol interventions for high-risk drinkers.

National survey studies suggest that roughly one in four college students who drink will experience a blackout in a given year, making blackouts a surprisingly common outcome of excessive drinking.

A new Senate report highlights the growing problem of prescription drug abuse, calling into question the conventional wisdom that drug cartels in Latin America should be the major focus of US drug policy, The Christian Science Monitor reports.

Only 7.6 percent of adult tobacco users were prescribed tobacco cessation medication before 2010, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings were part of a report showing that before 2010, almost half of Americans did not receive routine clinical preventive services that can save lives.

Women who smoke during pregnancy raise the risk their baby will develop a severe, potentially life-threatening illness of the bowel if the infant is born prematurely, a new study suggests.

A New York judge said this week that police should be required to prove beverages cited in public drinking cases are alcoholic, through laboratory testing.

New York Senator Charles Schumer has proposed steps the federal government should take to tackle the increasing problem of opioid exposure in newborns.

Smoking and excessive drinking are unlikely to harm a man’s sperm, a new study suggests.

The prescription drug monitoring database in Massachusetts, which has been in operation for two years, appears to have helped stem “doctor shopping,” according to state health officials.

A bill that would make New York the first state to ban the sale of e-cigarettes appears unlikely to pass, the Associated Press reports.

A new study finds college students who use prescription drugs for non-medical purposes are at increased risk of depression and thoughts of suicide.