The Latest News from Our Field

CADCA’s National Leadership Forum will be held February 6-9 at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. This four-day conference will focus on the latest strategies to fight substance abuse, and will feature nationally known experts and policymakers.

Treatment admissions for prescription drug abuse rose 430 percent from 1999 to 2009, according to a new government report.

France, with a culture that embraces wine, is facing serious concerns about teenage binge drinking, NPR reports.

Texans arrested for drunk driving this holiday season who refuse to take a breathalyzer test may have to submit to a blood test.

The NFL is trying to recruit physician Congressmen to urge the football players union to allow human growth hormone testing. The union has resisted the testing, insisting they need more information.

In searching for solutions to the devastating impact of the tobacco epidemic, it’s easy to understand why some employers are turning to “smoker free” workplaces. But upon sober second thought, “smoker free” workplace policies emerge as a deeply flawed strategy, explains Ellen Vargyas of Legacy.

The U.S. House voted Thursday to ban more than 30 synthetic drugs, including “bath salts” and “spice.” The Synthetic Drug Control Act would make it illegal to manufacture or dispense the drugs.

An estimated 31 percent of driving deaths were linked to alcohol in 2010, compared with nine percent of deaths caused by distracted driving, according to a new government report.

The Appalachian Regional Commission, a regional economic development agency, is taking a key role in the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit in April. The summit will take place in Florida, which has been called the center of the nation’s prescription drug abuse epidemic.

A prison warden in the Central Michigan Correctional Facility says prisoners are making homemade alcohol, mostly from oranges.

Maine and North Dakota received the highest marks for being friendly to smokers trying to quit, in a report released by the American Lung Association. Georgia and Louisiana are the states least hospitable to smokers who want to kick the habit, according to the report.

Young women who start binge drinking in college may be at relatively high risk of sexual assault, a new study suggests.

The National Basketball Association players union has recommended that its members agree to additional drug testing, including offseason screening for performance-enhancing drugs.

Arrests for possession of small amounts of marijuana have dropped 13 percent in New York City since the police department relaxed its enforcement policy in September, Reuters reports.

Teenagers whose parents drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs are far more likely to drive under the influence themselves compared with teens whose parents don’t drive after using drugs or alcohol, according to a new government study.

The Mental Health Parity Act, which requires employers offering mental health and substance abuse services to offer those services at the same level as other health-related services, has largely been a success, a new government report finds.

A judge has ruled Florida Governor Rick Scott cannot subpoena records from the American Civil Liberties Union, or question the group’s officials, in a case that challenges the governor’s order calling for drug testing for state employees.

The New York University Silver School of Social Work is holding a conference entitled “Substance Use: Responding to Changes in Policy, Research, and Services” on December 14th and 15th.

A new alcohol screening tool that focuses on two key questions is designed to help pediatricians spot children and adolescents at risk for alcohol-related problems. The doctor asks about the patient’s own drinking, as well as his or her friends’ alcohol use.

The New Jersey Assembly has approved a bill that would allow intravenous drug users to purchase needles without a prescription. The goal of the bill is to halt the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C, according to NJ.com.

Florida’s Department of Health is recommending that the state share information from its new database that tracks prescription pain medicine with other states.

Alcoholic popsicles will be sold in Arizona starting this week, myfoxphoenix.com reports. The new product, Snobar, has an alcohol content of up to 14 percent.

Some experts in the field of substance abuse say there are significant problems with a recent study that concluded medical marijuana laws are associated with a reduction in traffic deaths. The critics point out the study was published as a working paper, and was not a peer-reviewed study in a scientific journal.

Critics of drug and alcohol “zero-tolerance” policies imposed by school districts say principals need more flexibility in dealing with students who break the rules. They argue students’ intent or history should be taken into account.

Foster children who are on Medicaid receive psychotropic drugs, including antidepressants and antipsychotics, at higher rates than children not in foster care who receive their health care through Medicaid, a new government study finds.