The Latest News from Our Field

Two human rights groups are calling for decriminalizing the possession and personal use of all illicit drugs, according to the Associated Press.

Scientists are working with three compounds that show promise in treating pain, without the side effects of opioids, CNBC reports.

The Drug Enforcement Administration this week announced it is requiring significant cuts in the production of prescription opioids, HealthDay reports. By 2017 the amount of prescription opioids permitted to be manufactured in the U.S. will decrease by at least 25 percent.

A new study finds the risk of prescription opioid addiction rose 37 percent among young adults between 2002 and 2014. Past-year heroin use also rose among 18- to 25-year-olds, from 2 percent to 7 percent.

The Food and Drug Administration will determine whether naloxone devices distributed in communities should contain a standard dose of the opioid overdose antidote, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The increasing number of drug overdose deaths has led to a rise in the number of organ donations, according to The New York Times.

Doctors at the University of Washington Region Burn Center in Seattle report a growing number of patients who are being harmed by exploding e-cigarettes. The center has treated 22 people for burns and other injuries caused by exploding e-cigarettes since October 2015.

A bill introduced in the U.S. House this week would allow federal prosecutors to seek capital punishment or life imprisonment for dealers of fentanyl-laced heroin, The Huffington Post reports.

Some health professionals say telemedicine could help fight the opioid epidemic, according to The Washington Post. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has directed $1.4 million to five pilot projects that will use video chat to connect patients with physicians who are trained in treating addiction.

Attorneys general from 35 states and the District of Columbia are suing a British drug company, alleging it tried to keep less expensive generic versions of the opioid addiction treatment Suboxone off the market.

Public health officials are urging doctors to consider prescribing medications to treat alcohol addiction, NPR reports. The drugs can be used alongside or in place of peer-support programs.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, September 23- Thursday, September 29, 2016.

By researching the most consistent, accurate and scientifically informed information, the Treatment Research Institute sorted through the most widely available resources so parents and caring loved ones don’t have to.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a warning to the public and law enforcement about the risks of the synthetic opioid carfentanil, ABC News reports. Carfentanil is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

Giving children stimulant medication meant to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has no significant effect on homework completion or accuracy, a new small study suggests.

Within five days of having wisdom teeth removed, most patients experience relatively little pain, but most still have well over half of their opioid painkiller prescription left, a new study finds.

American 10th graders have a higher rate of illicit drug use than their European peers, researchers at the University of Michigan have found. American teens have lower rates of drinking and smoking.

The price of naloxone is increasing at a time when the need for the opioid overdose antidote is growing, CNBC reports.

Addiction doctors say insurance barriers to opioid addiction treatment are putting people’s lives at risk, USA Today reports.

A group of House lawmakers—both Democratic and Republican—is asking that the Drug Enforcement Administration delay the decision to make kratom a Schedule I drug, according to The Huffington Post.

The recent surge in overdoses from the potent opioid carfentanil is overwhelming first responders and crime labs in Ohio, NPR reports. Carfentanil, used to sedate elephants, is 100 times stronger than fentanyl.

The Food and Drug Administration this week launched the 2016 Naloxone App Competition to look for innovative technologies to fight the opioid epidemic.

The U.S. Justice Department is scheduled to meet with American Indian tribal leaders from northern New Mexico about the opioid epidemic, the Associated Press reports.

A new study helps explain how tobacco smoke causes changes to DNA. Reuters reports researchers have found tobacco smoke changes a chemical code on DNA, which can sometimes alter gene activity.

Seattle is moving ahead with plans to open the nation’s first supervised heroin-injection clinics, the Los Angeles Times reports. The government-supported clinics would allow people addicted to heroin to legally use the drug while being monitored by medical personnel.