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.
Representative Tom Marino of Pennsylvania announced this week he is withdrawing his name from consideration as head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. His decision comes in the wake of a Washington Post and 60 Minutes joint report that concluded legislation Marino sponsored hampered efforts by the Drug Enforcement Administration to fight the opioid epidemic.
Two Democratic senators have introduced legislation that would repeal a law they say hampers efforts by the Drug Enforcement Administration to fight the opioid epidemic.
The U.S. Justice Department announced charges against two Chinese nationals who sold fentanyl online to American customers, The Washington Post reports.
A survey of college students finds 29 percent mistakenly think drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder increase school performance.
A new online tool allows first responders, public safety and public health officials to track opioid overdoses in real time, NBC News reports. Health officials say the data allows them to quickly allocate resources where they are needed.
Medicare has not put significant restrictions in place for opioid prescriptions, despite recent government guidelines that recommend such limits, according to a new study.
First Lady Melania Trump this week visited a West Virginia clinic that treats infants exposed to opioids in the womb. She said she wants to give a voice to families facing addiction, The New York Times reports.
Hospital treatment rates for heroin rose more than 31 percent between 2008 and 2014, while treatment rates for prescription opioids have declined, according to a new study.
Health insurer Cigna announced this week it will stop covering the prescription opioid OxyContin in an effort to reduce inappropriate use of the drug. Instead it will cover an equivalent drug less vulnerable to being misused.
The Food and Drug Administration announced it will require makers of fast-acting opioids to fund voluntary training for healthcare professionals who prescribe the drugs, according to Reuters.
People searching for high-quality care for alcohol use disorder have a new online tool to help them. The tool, called the Alcohol Treatment Navigator, is provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a new warning this week about mixing medication to treat opioid addiction with anti-anxiety drugs. Both types of drugs slow breathing and brain activity.
Chuck Rosenberg, the acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said he will resign at the end of the week, The New York Times reports. Law enforcement officials said Rosenberg has grown disillusioned with President Trump and feels he has little respect for the law.
CVS announced it will set limits on opioid prescriptions and add in-store disposal units for consumers so they can drop off unwanted and unused medications.
Drug company and government officials announced new efforts designed to fight opioid addiction during a meeting this week of the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis.
Opioid overdoses reduced Americans’ life expectancy by 2.5 months between 2000 and 2015, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Google has announced it is restricting ads for addiction treatment. “We found a number of misleading experiences among rehabilitation treatment centers that led to our decision,” a company spokeswoman said.
Some insurance companies are restricting patients’ access to pain medicines with a lower risk of dependence or addiction, while making it easier to get generic opioid drugs, The New York Times reports.
The Food and Drug Administration has permitted marketing of the first mobile app to help treat substance use disorders. The app is designed to be prescribed by a doctor and used along with counseling, CNBC reports.
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