The Latest News from Our Field

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Wednesday announced it is temporarily banning three synthetic stimulants that are sold as “bath salts.” The DEA said the action is necessary to protect the public from the imminent hazard posed by these dangerous chemicals.

Cutting down on drinking alcohol and smoking, in addition to improving diets and increasing physical activity, could help prevent up to 2.8 million cases of cancer worldwide each year, according to the World Cancer Research Fund.

A lawsuit filed this week challenges Florida’s new law that requires welfare recipients to pass a drug test.

A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows fewer adults are smoking cigarettes in the United States. An estimated 19.3 percent of adults smoked in 2010, down from 20.9 percent in 2005, according to the CDC.

Drinking less alcohol and quitting smoking, combined with other lifestyle changes, can dramatically reduce the risk of developing diabetes, a new study suggests. Other healthy behaviors that reduce diabetes risk include exercising more, eating high-fiber, low-fat foods, and not becoming obese.

A new study helps explain how alcohol affects self control. The study shows alcohol dulls the brain signal that warns people they are making a mistake. While drinkers are aware of their error, the alcohol causes them to care less about it.

A California bill would require anyone buying alcohol to pay a cashier, instead of going through a self-checkout aisle. The bill’s supporters say it would prevent minors from buying alcohol.

Mitchell S. Rosenthal, MD, Founder of Phoenix House, talks about a new campaign to lower the barriers families face in getting teens the treatment and recovery support they need.

As a new Florida law banning “pill mills” takes effect, the number of applications filed with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for new pharmacies in the state has jumped, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

More than 500 college campuses around the nation are smoke free or tobacco free as of July 1, CNN reports.

A study of workplace drug-screening tests finds methamphetamine use is higher among workers in Western states.

Children who live with smokers miss more school days due to illnesses including ear infections and chest colds compared with those who live in smoke-free homes, a new study suggests.

The number of narcotic-related emergency room visits in New York City jumped 40 percent between 2004 and 2009, according to a survey by the city’s Department of Health.

While many states are being forced to pull back on methamphetamine lab cleanups because of federal funding cuts, Indiana has been able to buck the trend. The state has increased the number of meth labs it has found and destroyed by 33 percent in the first half of this year compared with 2008.

Mandated drug testing for convicted criminals in Pennsylvania generally does not include the newly banned “bath salts,” WNEP-TV reports. A state law banning the synthetic drugs went into effect in this week.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a new law this week that will suspend school bus driver permits for three years for those who refuse to submit to a drug or alcohol test. The law also suspends permits for drivers who submit to a test that shows the presence of drugs or alcohol in their system.

From "pharming" to pill parties, teens are abusing prescription drugs in dangerous ways, and can become addicted quickly, warns an adolescent substance abuse specialist at Children’s Hospital Boston.

Four states—Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia—have created the Interstate Prescription Drug Task Force to fight the region’s prescription drug abuse problem.

A Michigan appeals court ruled Wednesday that medical marijuana cannot be sold in private shops or dispensaries. The Associated Press calls the ruling a major decision.

A U.S. judge said he will hear the tobacco industry’s request for a preliminary injunction on the Food and Drug Administration’s requirement that cigarette packages carry graphic warning labels on September 21.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie this week signed legislation that bans sale of synthetic drugs such as “bath salts.”

Smokers with drug, alcohol or mental disorders are five times as likely to quit smoking if they receive counseling from their primary care physician, a new study finds.

Women prescribed the drug tamoxifen to reduce their risk of breast cancer are less likely to continue taking the drug if they smoke and drink, according to a new nationwide study.

A new survey suggests teens who spend time on Facebook and other social networking sites are at greater risk of substance abuse compared with teens who don’t visit the sites.

A growing number of young adults in California are using hookahs, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have found.