The Latest News from Our Field

In the first of a two-part series, Kevin Sabet, PhD, Policy Consultant and Assistant Professor, University of Florida, breaks down the various issues of medical marijuana.

R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, says singer Whitney Houston’s death is an opportunity to talk about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

A new study finds that young adults who quit smoking have substantially fewer respiratory symptoms, especially coughing, after just two weeks.

Kansas has joined the growing number of states considering drug testing for welfare recipients.

Smoking bans in public places such as restaurants and offices lead people to smoke less at home, a new European study concludes.

February 12-18, 2012 is Children of Alcoholics Week – A Celebration of Hope and Healing – Across Generations. The week calls attention to the one in four children under the age of 18 who are exposed to a family alcohol problem, and the many others affected by parental drug abuse.

Using a nicotine patch may help smokers who are trying to quit recover from a relapse, a new study suggests.

An anti-drug law sponsored by former Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords was signed into law Friday by President Obama. The law allows for long jail sentences and stiff fines for using ultralight aircraft to help with drug smuggling.

A voluntary afterschool program that teaches middle school students about substance abuse prevention may help reduce alcohol use, according to a new study.

A Seattle-based health care system that implemented a program last year to prevent opioid misuse and overdose in patients with chronic noncancer pain is beginning to see positive results.

Driving under the influence of marijuana is associated with an increased risk of a motor vehicle crash, especially for fatal collisions, an analysis of nine studies concludes.

Two men who purchased what they thought was a recreational drug were poisoned by the product, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. It is not known whether the company selling the product deliberately substituted ingredients or made a packaging error.

An American Indian tribe in South Dakota is demanding $500 million in damages, in a suit against beer manufacturers that alleges the companies knowingly contributed to alcohol-related problems on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Middle and high school students said Super Bowl ads for M&Ms, Doritos and Bud Light were their favorites, in an informal national survey to help measure the impact of alcohol advertising that runs during the Super Bowl.

More research is needed before officials heavily invest in prescription drug take-back programs as a key component of substance abuse prevention strategies, a new report concludes.

Middle school students who take part in a greater number of sports are less likely to smoke than those who participate in fewer, a new study suggests. The researchers also found middle schoolers’ decision about whether to smoke is influenced by whether their teammates do so.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts are developing a multimedia device called “iHeal” that aims to detect drug cravings and intervene to prevent drug use.

The Baseball Hall of Fame has announced a new program to educate teens and young adults about the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs.

Almost half of all admissions for substance abuse treatment that involve college students are primarily related to alcohol, according to a new government report.

The rate of drinking among residents in assisted living facilities is high, a new study suggests.

Adult smokers are twice as likely as former smokers, and four times as likely as people who never smoked, to have poor oral health, HealthDay reports.

A federal judge has granted CVS a temporary restraining order, which will allow the company to continue to sell controlled prescription drugs at two pharmacies in Florida. The Drug Enforcement Administration raided the pharmacies last weekend and suspended their licenses to dispense controlled substances.

With the 2012 election season heating up, recovery community organizations and allies are mobilizing their members and local residents to exercise our civic rights and responsibilities.

Middle-aged male smokers experience a faster decline in brain function compared with men who never smoked, a new study finds. Decline in brain function among men who quit 10 years ago is similar to that seen in men who never smoked.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear put his support this week behind several bills designed to fight prescription drug abuse. “If there ever was a Kentucky issue, this is it,” he said at a news conference on Monday.