The Latest News from Our Field

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. Sign up here to receive weekly updates straight to your inbox.

Opioid Crisis Leads Police Officers to Act as Drug Counselors and Medical Workers

In areas hard hit by the opioid crisis, police officers have increasingly taken on the role of drug counselors and medical workers, The Washington Post reports.

Prescription bottle with surgical instruments on sterile field.

Patients Need Fewer Pain Pills After Surgery, Study Finds

A new study finds that providing surgeons with guidelines on prescribing painkillers for specific types of surgeries resulted in a 53 percent drop in opioid prescribing, The Washington Post reports.

Poll Finds Percentage of Adults Prescribed Opioid Painkillers on the Rise

A new poll finds 57 percent of adults say they have been prescribed an opioid painkiller at some point, compared with 54 percent in 2014 and 50 percent in 2011.

Legal Experts Say Sessions Planning to Make Changes on Prosecuting Drug Crimes

Legal experts say a memo Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent to federal prosecutors this week suggests he plans to make changes to Obama Administration policies that sought less serious charges in some drug cases.

Addiction Treatment More Successful if it Lasts More Than 30 Days: Study

Addiction treatment is most successful when it lasts more than 30 days, according to researchers at the University of Southern California. They found after one year, the treatment success rate was 55 percent for those who underwent a 30-day treatment program, and 84 percent for those in treatment programs that lasted longer.

Increase in Colombia’s Coca Crop May be Leading to Increasing Cocaine Use in U.S.

There are early signs that cocaine use and availability is on the rise in the United States for the first time in almost a decade, according to a new State Department report on the global narcotics trade. The increase may be due to an expansion in Colombia’s coca crop, according to The Washington Post.

Research Finds Many Links Between Alcohol and Suicide

A growing body of research points to the relationship between alcohol and suicide. Taking steps to reduce the availability of alcohol may help to reduce the number of suicides, says Raul Caetano, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist at the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in Oakland, California.

Drug packages, raw opium, drug dozens and weapons seized by police

Percentage of Drug Overdose Deaths Involving Heroin Tripled in Five Years

A new government report finds 25 percent of drug overdose deaths in 2015 involved heroin, triple the percentage in 2010.

Repealing Affordable Care Act Could Slash Coverage for Addiction Treatment: Experts

Some health experts are warning that repealing the Affordable Care Act could slash treatment for addiction and mental health, the Associated Press reports.

Aetna is Latest Insurer to Drop Preauthorization for Opioid Addiction Treatment

Aetna is the latest health insurer to announce it will no longer require preauthorization for opioid addiction treatment, Kaiser Health News reports. The change takes effect this month and applies to commercial plans.

Stricter Drinking Laws Lead to Fewer Alcohol-Related Car Deaths Among Young People

States with stricter laws designed to discourage drinking have fewer motor vehicle deaths among children and teens, according to a new study.

Pediatrics Group Issues New Guidelines for Talking to Teens About Marijuana

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new guidelines for doctors and parents to talk to teens about the risks of using marijuana, CNN reports.

Commentary: Turning the Tide on the Opioid Epidemic

In 2015, more than 12 million Americans reported misusing a prescription opioid in the past year. All of us – health care professionals, parents, educators, community leaders, law enforcement and policy makers – have a role to play in reversing the nation’s opioid epidemic and saving lives. The American Medical Association and the Partnership together are committed to ensuring that physicians and families have the education and resources they need. We urge you to join us in our efforts to reverse this national epidemic.

CDC: Fentanyl Sold as Cocaine Led to 12 Overdoses in 8 Hours

A hospital in New Haven, Connecticut treated 12 people who overdosed last June when they used fentanyl that had been sold as cocaine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three of the people died.

Price of Naloxone Device Soars as Demand Increases

The price of Evzio, a device that delivers the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, has soared from $690 in 2014 to $4,500 today for a twin-pack, Scientific American reports.

California Reports More Young Adults Ending Up in ER Because of Heroin

A growing number of Californians in their 20s are ending up in the emergency room because of heroin, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.

New Method for E-Cigarette Use Called “Dripping” Becoming Popular Among Teens

A new method for using e-cigarettes called “dripping” is becoming popular among teens. A report published in Pediatrics finds one-quarter of U.S. teens who use e-cigarettes have experimented with dripping.

Survey Finds Increase in Number of Pregnant Women Using Marijuana

A recent federal survey finds almost 4 percent of pregnant women said they had used marijuana in the past month in 2014, up from 2.4 percent in 2002.

Medical Community Needs Better Understanding of Power of AA: Expert

Many doctors, even those who specialize in addiction treatment, do not have a good understanding of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and its benefits for people struggling to give up drinking, says Marc Galanter, M.D., Founding Director of the Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Repealing Affordable Care Act Would Hurt Efforts to Combat Opioid Crisis: Botticelli

Repealing the Affordable Care Act would roll back any progress made against combating the nation’s opioid crisis, according to Michael Botticelli, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Obama.

Two Major Drug Wholesalers Agree to Pay Millions to Settle Opioid-Related Claims

Two major drug wholesalers recently agreed to pay millions of dollars to settle claims they failed to report suspicious orders for opioid painkillers to the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to NPR.

Some Cases of Sudden-Onset Amnesia May be Linked With Opioid Use

Officials in Massachusetts report a cluster of 14 patients who experienced sudden-onset amnesia, which they suspect was caused by opioids. Thirteen of the patients reported current or past substance abuse, and 12 said they used opioids.

Weakening FDA’s Authority Over Tobacco Could Impact Use, Advocates Say

Weakening the Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory authority over tobacco could have an adverse impact on tobacco use, according to advocacy groups.

Seattle Approves Nation’s First Safe-Injection Sites for People Using Heroin

Seattle has approved the nation’s first two safe-injection sites for people using heroin and other illegal drugs, The Washington Post reports. City officials said the sites are a drastic but necessary response to the opioid epidemic.

Addiction and Mental Health Parity Progress is Slow, Especially for Children: Expert

While there have been substantial gains on the issue of parity – making addiction and mental health coverage equal to physical health coverage – much work still needs to be done, especially for children, according to Ron Manderscheid, Ph.D., Executive Director of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors and the National Association for Rural Mental Health.

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