The Latest News from Our Field

Fewer teenagers and young adults in the United States are smoking, a new government report finds. The drop can be attributed to several causes, including an increase in cigarette taxes, Bloomberg reports.

Four activists and a grassroots community organization will be recognized for their work as recovery advocates by Faces & Voices of Recovery. The addiction recovery advocacy organization will present the awards Wednesday, June 27 in Washington, D.C.

Drug wholesale company Cardinal Health said Tuesday it will suspend shipments of controlled substances from a warehouse in Florida for two years, under an agreement with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Colorado lawmakers on Tuesday rejected a bill that would have set a legal blood-level limit for the active ingredient in marijuana, THC. Currently convictions for drugged driving in the state depend on an officer’s observations, according to the Associated Press.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will create a 12-member investigative unit, based in Cleveland, which will focus on prescription drug cases. The unit will include agents from the DEA, FBI, and local law enforcement agencies.

Substance abuse is one of the top non-combat medical conditions that result in hospitalization for U.S. troops, according to a new Pentagon report.

Children raised in a household with one or more parents struggling with a substance use disorder often use compliance as a coping mechanism—a skill that often no longer serves them well in adulthood, according to an expert who spoke recently at the National Council Mental Health and Addictions Conference. He says teaching new skills to substitute for learned patterns can help break the intergenerational cycle of substance abuse.

The Medicaid contractor in Kentucky that announced last week it would stop paying for the opioid addiction medication buprenorphine has reversed its decision, according to The Courier-Journal.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s plan for mandatory treatment for all low-level drug offenders could reduce treatment slots for people who seek treatment voluntarily, but don’t have the money to pay for it, critics say.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will donate up to $500,000 of his own money to support California’s tobacco tax measure, known as Proposition 29. He challenged supporters to match that amount.

The U.S. military is limiting the use of certain antipsychotic drugs such as Seroquel for treatment of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). These drugs, used to treat severe mental illness, are sometimes prescribed in lower doses to relieve symptoms of PTSD and anxiety. When they are mixed with other prescriptions, however, they can be dangerous and even deadly.

A proposed revision to the definition of addiction by mental health specialists could lead to millions of additional people receiving an addiction diagnosis, The New York Times reports. The changes could lead to big consequences for both health insurers and taxpayers, according to the newspaper.

The tobacco industry is funding ads opposing California’s proposed tax on cigarettes to raise money for cancer research.

Stolen or fabricated prescription pads are contributing to the surge in prescription drug abuse, experts say. There is a growing call for computer systems that directly link doctors to pharmacies, to avoid this problem.

Three U.S. senators have introduced legislation that would close loopholes in the tax code that allow tobacco manufacturers to avoid the federal cigarette tax and the roll-your-own tobacco tax.

Doctors caring for pregnant women addicted to opioids may face a difficult choice—should they treat with methadone or buprenorphine? Physicians must consider the individual circumstances of the mother, says Karol Kaltenbach, PhD, Director of Maternal Addiction Treatment Education and Research at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

A new government study finds 22 percent of white women have smoked cigarettes during their pregnancy, ABC News reports. In contrast, 14 percent of black women, and 6.5 percent of Hispanic women, have done so.

Attorneys general from 37 states have sent letters to 10 movie studio executives, asking them to stop showing smoking and tobacco in movies that are aimed at young audiences. They say these scenes encourage young people to smoke.

A new study finds parents greatly underestimate their children’s exposure to secondhand smoke. While 13 percent of parents said their children were recently exposed to cigarette smoke, blood tests showed the rate was 55 percent.

A Medicaid provider in Kentucky has announced it will stop paying for the opioid addiction medication buprenorphine. A doctor who prescribes the medication says the company’s decision could lead to serious complications, relapse and even overdose deaths.

Use of drugs, particularly cocaine and methamphetamine, is on the decline in the United States, according to U.S. National Drug Control Policy Director R. Gil Kerlikowske. He spoke this week at the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission.

Mexican authorities have shut down a record number of industrial methamphetamine labs in recent months, Reuters reports. U.S. drug agents fear Mexico’s growing meth production will result in a sudden surge in supply in this country.

The parents of teenagers’ friends can have as much effect on teens’ decisions about substance use as their own parents, a new study suggests.

After receiving warning letters from the federal government, 25 medical marijuana dispensaries in Colorado that were located near schools have shut down. The letters from Colorado U.S. Attorney John Walsh said they must close, or potentially face criminal prosecution.

The Senate Finance Committee announced they have opened an inquiry that will look at financial ties between prescription painkiller manufacturers and pain experts, patient advocacy groups and bodies that set guidelines on physicians’ use of the medications.