The Latest News from Our Field

The Justice Department is using a civil statute, aimed at seizing the assets of drug trafficking organizations, against medical marijuana dispensaries in California, Reuters reports. By using the law, the department is avoiding expensive and potentially embarrassing criminal prosecutions.

Increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables may help smokers quit, a new study suggests.

A landlord in California has announced that residents of almost 2,000 rented apartments will no longer be allowed to smoke in their homes. Until now, few property owners have employed the state’s new law, allowing landlords to ban smoking in rented apartments.

Many people struggling with alcohol dependence who could benefit from medication are not receiving it, according to an expert who spoke at the recent American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.

Quitting smoking is beneficial, even for smokers ages 60 and older, a new study suggests.

A new study concludes teenagers and young adults with mental health disorders are more likely to be prescribed opioids for chronic pain, and more likely to become long-term opioid users, compared with their peers who don’t have a mental health disorder.

Police in rural and suburban areas around the country are reporting finding drugs, money and guns linked to Mexican drug cartels, CNN reports.

The Defense Department’s new drug testing policy is raising questions about what a valid prescription is, according to the Navy Times.

A growing number of high school students are using attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs, such as Adderall and Ritalin, to help them get better grades, The New York Times reports. Teens get them from friends, buy them from student dealers, or pretend to have ADHD in order to get prescriptions.

Addiction is a disease, not a moral failure, according to Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. He is scheduled to speak about addiction and drug control policy Monday at the Betty Ford Center in California.

A growing number of state legislatures are debating marijuana policy, according to the Associated Press. The discussions are being fueled by an increasingly open-minded public, as well as an enthusiastic base of voters who support legalization.

The fate of California’s $1-per-pack cigarette tax is still in limbo, despite headlines last week declaring that the tax was defeated by a slim margin, CNN reports.

Congressman Hal Rogers (KY) shares what he, his home state and the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse are doing to combat this national epidemic.

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will meet this fall to discuss whether prescription painkillers containing hydrocodone should be more tightly regulated, Bloomberg reports.

Arizona, which has one of the country’s strictest rules regarding medical marijuana sales, is beginning the complicated process of regulating medical marijuana dispensaries, according to The New York Times.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is looking to compromise with state senators who oppose his plan to decriminalize open possession of small amounts of marijuana, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Voters in California narrowly rejected a measure that would have added a $1-per-pack tax on cigarettes. Reuters reports 50.8 percent of voters were against the measure, while 49.2 percent were in favor of it.

Regulations designed to make it more difficult to abuse prescription painkillers are leading to an increase in heroin addiction, MSNBC reports.

“Bath salts” are the latest synthetic drug to gain popularity among Marines, a development that concerns health officials. The Marine Corps is already wrestling with synthetic marijuana, or Spice.

Young adults who do not define themselves as exclusively heterosexual or homosexual are more likely to misuse alcohol than their peers with a more firmly defined sexual orientation, a new study suggests.

As of Wednesday morning, the vote on the proposed $1-per-pack cigarette tax in California was too close to call, the Associated Press reports. The measure, which was popular among voters earlier this year, lost support due to a $50 million campaign funded by the tobacco industry.

Neighborhoods with medical marijuana dispensaries are no more likely than other areas to have crime, according to a new study conducted in Sacramento, California.

Three out of four terminals at Denver International Airport will soon become smoke free, according to USA Today. Currently, 27 of the 35 busiest U.S. airports ban smoking.

Surveys of American and European teenagers have found dramatic differences between the two groups’ substance use. While American teens smoke and drink less than their European peers, they are more likely to use illegal drugs.

Whether volunteers or staff, the role of a Peer Recovery Coach is a legitimate and important one within the continuum of care, says IC&RC's Executive Director.