We curate a digest of the latest news in our field for advocates, policymakers, community coalitions and all who work toward shaping policies and practices to effectively prevent substance use and treat addiction. Sign up here to receive weekly updates straight to your inbox.
Having just one alcoholic drink daily can increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer by 5 percent, a review of studies concludes. Three or more daily drinks can raise a woman’s breast cancer risk between 40 to 50 percent, the researchers found.
The Food and Drug Administration says tobacco companies will have to report levels of 20 dangerous chemicals found in their products. The chemicals have been associated with cancer, lung disease and other health problems, the Associated Press reports.
A new government-sponsored ad campaign, which features former smokers who discuss the negative health consequences of smoking, has led to a doubling of calls to a toll-free telephone hotline designed to help people quit smoking.
A retail store that calls itself a one-stop shop for marijuana cultivators opened in Washington, D.C. last week. WeGrow is located about four miles from the White House.
A drug company says it has developed a formulation of the cold medicine pseudoephedrine that cannot be made into methamphetamine.
Addiction is a complex lifelong disease which, if unaddressed, commonly results in death of the patient. Dr. Stuart Gitlow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine asks, shouldn’t we have some research to determine to whom these patients should be referred?
A federal bill introduced Thursday would link states’ prescription drug monitoring programs. The proposed nationwide system would allow physicians to see if a new patient has a history of drug abuse in another state before writing a prescription.
Eight states raised cigarette taxes between 2010 and 2011, compared with 15 states in 2009, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As cigarette prices go up, smoking rates decline, according to the CDC.
New York state has banned the sale of synthetic marijuana, which is sold under brand names such as “Spice,” “K2” and “Mr. Nice Guy,” the Associated Press reports.
A new thrill-seeking activity popular among teenagers called the “cinnamon challenge” can be risky, warns the American Association of Poison Control Centers. In the cinnamon challenge, teens are dared to swallow a spoonful of ground or powdered cinnamon, without drinking any water.
People who engage in Internet gambling, such as online poker, are more likely to use alcohol and marijuana than those who gamble offline, a new study suggests.
Nations negotiating a treaty to stamp out tobacco smuggling are making significant progress, the World Health Organization announced this week.
Hospitals on the west coast of Florida are reporting a rise in the number of newborns exposed to opioids. Health care providers say prescription drug abuse is to blame.
New Jersey legislators are considering a number of measures that would relax laws governing alcohol sales, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Whip-Its—small canisters filled with nitrous oxide—are once again becoming popular among teens and young adults as a recreational drug, ABC News reports.
Workers report drinking less on the job when they think their supervisor can detect substance abuse problems and are willing to take corrective action, suggests a new study. Supervisor enforcement also leads to less illicit drug use both on and off the job, the study found.
Heroin use has increased so much in Ohio that users say it is “falling out of the sky,” according to a new report by state health officials. Children as young as 13 are starting to use the drug, they said.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear announced this week the state will sign an agreement to share and receive prescription drug dispensing data with at least 20 other states. The move is designed to help the state monitor prescription drug abuse.
A recent study that found soaring hospitalization rates for combined drug and alcohol overdoses among young adults suggests doctors could play a pivotal role in educating the public about the dangers of combining these substances, says the study’s author.
Opana, a powerful opioid, is increasingly being abused in rural America, Reuters reports.
The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear an appeal by tobacco maker R.J. Reynolds, in a Florida case in which the company was ordered to pay $28.3 million to a woman whose husband smoked cigarettes for decades and died of lung cancer.
Exposure to smoking before and after birth is a risk factor for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, according to a new study. The number-one risk factor is still tummy sleeping, the study concluded.
“K2” and other synthetic drugs are still available in some gas stations and convenience stores in Missouri even after the state banned the substances, according to The Kansas City Star.
The owners of 25 medical marijuana dispensaries located within 1,000 feet of a school have received letters from Colorado U.S. Attorney John Walsh telling them that they must close, or potentially face criminal prosecution.
Emotional support from middle school teachers may reduce the risk their students will engage in early use of alcohol and other illicit substances, a new study suggests.
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