The Latest News from Our Field

A study of patients at pain or rehabilitation clinics who were prescribed opioids found 20 percent tested positive for the anti-seizure drug gabapentin (Neurontin), even though they did not have a prescription for the drug.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, July 29- Thursday, August 4, 2016.

Poison control centers around the country are receiving a growing number of calls about the abuse of the drugs gabapentin and pregabalin, which are prescribed to treat seizures and nerve pain. Abuse of these drugs has increased fourfold since 2006, new research indicates.

A new report urges legislators to end the use of anonymous shell companies, to help law enforcement fight opioid trafficking. The report, by the nonprofit group the Fair Share Education Fund, says requiring all companies formed in the United States to disclose their owners would allow law enforcement to curb drug trafficking.

High school students are more likely to use marijuana than to binge drink, a new report indicates.

Teens who have easy access to drugs or alcohol may be at increased risk of substance use in adulthood, a new study suggests.

A newly developed device worn on the skin as a temporary tattoo can measure a person’s blood alcohol level from sweat. The device can transmit the data wirelessly to a laptop or smartphone, according to engineers at the University of California San Diego.

Kratom, a plant-based drug with opioid-like effects, is an emerging public health threat, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns.

A street drug that combines fentanyl and a new synthetic opioid is being sold illegally as the prescription painkiller Norco, according to a new report. Researchers caution that the street version is much stronger and more hazardous than the real medication.

A new study finds medical services for people dependent on opioids rose more than 3,000 percent between 2007 and 2014, according to Kaiser Health News.

Many people still see addiction as a character flaw instead of a chronic disease of the brain, according to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. He told The Huffington Post that to address the opioid epidemic, it is necessary to “change how our country sees addiction.”

Critics of a new law that makes it more difficult for the government to take action against drug companies say the measure could worsen the opioid crisis, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A new study finds a non-drug approach to pain management that combines behavioral therapy and social support is effective. The researchers say such an approach could help reduce addiction to opioid painkillers, Science Daily reports.

All e-cigarettes emit toxic chemicals, according to a new study. Levels of these chemicals are affected by a number of factors, including temperature, type and age of the device, HealthDay reports.

People living in Southern states are less likely to smoke marijuana than those in other regions of the country, according to a new study. Residents of Alabama, Mississippi and Texas are the least likely to use the drug, USA Today reports.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, July 22- Thursday, July 28, 2016.

Raising the minimum age of sale for cigarettes and all tobacco products to 21 is a critical tool that can help end the tobacco epidemic, explains Robin Koval of Truth Initiative.

The opioid epidemic has been a featured issue at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, an indication of the issue’s increasing significance in both parties, The Washington Post reports.

Critics of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone say the treatment encourages repeated drug use, according to The New York Times. Many people overdose more than once, sometimes many times, and naloxone brings them back each time.

While most medical schools devote little time to teaching addiction medicine, Stanford is leading the way in taking a new approach, NPR reports.

A new study finds people with moderate to severe pain have a 41 percent higher risk of opioid addiction, compared to those without pain.

President Obama on Friday signed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which aims to combat opioid addiction. He said the measure does not provide adequate funding, The Hill reports.

A new study finds that 54 percent of adults and 44 percent of children who were drug-tested by the clinical laboratory company Quest Diagnostics misused their prescription medications in 2015.

Emergency rooms treating patients who have taken the synthetic drug K2 are dealing with multiple challenges, according to The Wall Street Journal.

New York City’s immigrant neighborhoods are seeing an increase in heroin and pill overdoses, according to The New York Times.