The Latest News from Our Field

Top headlines of the week from Friday, September 16- Thursday, September 22, 2016.

There are many misperceptions about MDMA, also known as Ecstasy or Molly, according to a researcher on substance abuse at the University of South Florida. One of the most common myths is that Molly is a pure form of Ecstasy, says Khary Rigg, PhD.

A new government survey finds 35 percent of American adults were prescribed painkillers last year, The Washington Post reports.

Many doctors who are allowed to prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid addiction are treating many fewer patients than they could be, a new study finds.

Teens with bipolar disorder are at increased risk of substance use disorder as they get older, a study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital has found.

Drug-free school zones, which became popular in the late 1980s, are under reconsideration in many states as the focus has shifted from crack cocaine to opioids, according to Stateline.

The Obama Administration on Monday announced the launch of Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week. The administration is unveiling a series of new initiatives to fight the epidemic, and is calling on Congress to provide $1.1 billion for the effort.

Drug manufacturers and nonprofits funded by those companies resisted efforts by Washington state to place limits on prescriptions for opioid painkillers, according to the Associated Press and Center for Public Integrity.

The Food and Drug Administration has issued warning letters to 24 websites for illegally selling e-cigarettes to minors, The Wall Street Journal reports. The agency banned e-cigarette sales to anyone under 18 years old earlier this year.

A new study suggests a lack of adequate sleep may increase the risk of drug and alcohol use in male teens. The study of 186 boys found duration and quality of sleep at age 11 were associated with early substance use throughout adolescence.

A new study estimates prescription opioid overdose, abuse and dependence costs $78.5 billion annually in the United States.

Four percent of U.S. worker drug tests were positive last year, up slightly from the previous year, the medical screening laboratory Quest Diagnostics reports.

Two advisory panels to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week recommended removing warnings about suicide from the smoking cessation pill Chantix, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A group of black health experts is asking President Obama to direct the Food and Drug Administration to remove all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, from the marketplace.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, September 9- Thursday, September 15, 2016.

After receiving a number of calls from parents of young adults who are addicted to drugs, asking whether they can force their child into treatment against their will, the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws found it is possible to do so in 37 states—if strict guidelines are met.

Canadian doctors will now be able to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade heroin to treat severe addiction that has not responded to more conventional treatment, The Washington Post reports.

Most patients taking opioid painkillers are willing to fill a prescription for the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, a new small study suggests. Prescribing naloxone to patients taking opioid painkillers is increasingly recommended by medical guidelines, HealthDay reports.

Health insurance companies should do more to ensure parity for substance abuse and mental health treatment, members of a congressional subcommittee said at a recent hearing.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s decision earlier this month to make kratom a Schedule I drug is facing resistance from advocates who say they use the drug to cope with a variety of medical issues including post-traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism and fibromyalgia.

A new government survey finds 18.9 million people ages 12 and older—7.1 percent—misused prescription drugs such as pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants and sedatives last year.

College students in the United States are using more marijuana than in previous years, according to a new study. Last year 38 percent of college students said they used marijuana in the past year, up from 30 percent in 2006.

The rate of smoking and drinking is declining among American teens, a survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration finds.

Spending by health insurance companies increased more than 1,300 percent over four years for patients with an opioid abuse or dependence diagnosis, NPR reports.

Three Republican senators on Wednesday introduced a bill that would restrict fentanyl and another powerful opioid, carfentanil, from entering the United States.