The Latest News from Our Field

A British company is conducting advanced clinical trials of the first drug developed from raw marijuana. The drug is a mouth spray designed to treat cancer-related pain. The company hopes to obtain approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of 2013.

New research helps explain how the active ingredient in the psychedelic drug “magic mushrooms,” psilocybin, affects the brain. The findings may help scientists develop treatments for depression, the researchers say.

Alcohol abuse related to domestic violence is an increasing problem in the U.S. Army, according to a new study that also found the suicide rate among active-duty soldiers reached an all-time high last year.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has published a free guide to choosing a drug abuse treatment program.

Methamphetamine use, which was on the decline until recently, appears to be increasing due to Mexican drug cartels and small U.S. drug producers, the Evansville Courier and Press reports.

A Florida doctor has sued CVS for not filling his prescriptions, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Late last year, the company sent letters to a small number of doctors in Florida telling them it would no longer fill prescriptions they wrote for oxycodone and other Schedule II narcotic drugs.

A substantial minority of patients with lung or colon cancer continue to smoke after they have received their diagnosis, a new study finds.

Alcohol policy expert James F. Mosher, JD, discusses his new study, “Joe Camel in a Bottle: Diageo, the Smirnoff Brand, and the Transformation of the Youth Alcohol Market.” He explores why underage drinkers have made a dramatic shift in the last decade from beer to distilled spirits.

The pipeline of prescription painkillers from Florida to Kentucky has started to close off, the attorneys general of both states announced this week. They attributed the slowdown in illegal pill trafficking to new rules and programs in Florida, coupled with increased enforcement in both states.

The 23 marijuana dispensaries located near schools in Colorado that received warning letters last week telling them they must shut down should take the warning seriously, according to Colorado U.S. Attorney John Walsh.

Heavy drinkers who were formerly homeless, and are provided with housing, cut down on their drinking if they are allowed access to alcohol, a new study has found.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie this week called for mandatory treatment for all low-level drug offenders.

Many states received failing grades on the latest American Lung Association report card rating tobacco control efforts.

U.S. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to close loopholes in a synthetic drug law that allows makers of the drugs to slightly alter their ingredients to avoid federal and state bans.

A new government report finds that rates of substance abuse are far higher in people with mental illness. The report found that one in five adults in the United States—nearly 50 million people—experienced mental illness in the past year.

Two Florida health care organizations have announced a new plan to treat patients coming to the emergency room seeking pain relief. They say the plan aims to reduce prescription drug abuse.

An advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is meeting this week to discuss the risks and benefits of dissolvable tobacco. Critics of the products say they look like candy and are designed to appeal to teens.

Cognitive behavioral therapy can help bring relief to some patients with chronic pain, a new study suggests. The findings are potentially significant in light of the increasing incidence of painkiller overdoses and addiction, according to Fox News.

Many hospital patients are comfortable with having nurses deliver screening and brief intervention for alcohol, a new study suggests. According to the researchers, the findings indicate that nurses can be important partners in helping to screen for hazardous drinking.

A family history of alcoholism may affect teenagers’ decision-making, researchers at Oregon Health and Sciences University have found. They discovered these adolescents have a weaker brain response during risky decision-making compared with teens without such a family history.

At least 50 to 75 percent of Americans seeking treatment for a substance abuse problem also have a co-occurring mental health disorder, according to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). However, training of professionals for treating dual diagnoses in the field is not as frequent as its prevalence among Americans.

One person dies every 19 minutes from prescription drug abuse in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A new study suggests the most significant alcohol-related damage to fetuses occurs during the seventh through twelfth weeks of pregnancy. However, the researchers emphasized their findings do not indicate it is safe to drink earlier or later in pregnancy.

The U.S. military is spreading awareness of the dangers of “Spice,” “bath salts” and other synthetic drugs, the Air Force Times reports.

The Association of Surfing Professionals has announced it will begin a new anti-doping policy for top surfers, according to The Orange County Register.