The Latest News from Our Field

Almost 500 people in Vermont are on waiting lists to receive medication to treat their opioid dependence, Stateline reports. More than half will wait almost a full year.

New rules proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services would ease consent requirements for providers releasing patients’ substance abuse diagnosis and treatment records, according to MedPage Today.

A bill introduced last week by three U.S. senators would make it easier for college students with drug convictions to receive financial aid, by dropping questions about drug convictions on financial aid forms.

Ignition interlock systems in cars have prevented 1.77 million attempts at drunk driving since 1999, according to a new report by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

A measure that effectively lifts the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs, passed by Congress last month, could give a financial boost to the programs, WBUR reports. Federal funds still cannot be used for syringes, but they can pay for staff, vehicles, counseling and outreach.

Walgreens announced this week it will install kiosks in more than 500 stores by the end of the year to allow customers to safely dispose of unneeded or expired prescription drugs. The pharmacy chain will also make the opioid overdose antidote naloxone available without a prescription in 35 states and Washington, D.C.

A drug-smuggling scam has ensnared dozens of older American citizens, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, February 5- Thursday, February 11, 2016.

Addiction treatment professionals are often woefully unprepared to care for patients in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community, an expert said this week at the New York Society of Addiction Medicine annual meeting.

It is very difficult to test whether a driver has been using marijuana. The reason is that the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, THC, dissolves in fat, experts tell NPR.

Guns, drug overdoses and motor vehicle crashes are the top three causes of injury-related death in the United States, according to a new study. Researchers say those causes of injury contribute to Americans’ shorter life expectancy compared with people in 12 other wealthy countries.

A growing number of police departments are trying new approaches to battling the heroin epidemic, the Associated Press reports. Instead of simply arresting people, they are helping steer people into treatment.

A program for people involved in alcohol-related crimes that closely monitors them for drinking may reduce deaths, a new study concludes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced it will reassess its approach to opioid medications, in an effort to reverse the epidemic of abuse. The plan comes in response to pressure from Congress, The New York Times reports.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its recommendation that sexually active women should not drink alcohol if they are not using birth control is valid, despite criticism from many women. The New York Times reports the advice was viewed by some women as insulting and impractical.

A White House official said an ad intended to raise awareness of opioid-induced constipation, which aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl, could help fuel the opioid addiction crisis, according to USA Today.

A doctor was convicted of murder last week in connection with the drug overdose deaths of three patients in Los Angeles County, CNN reports.

A new poll finds 49 percent of Americans say heroin use is a very serious national problem, while an additional 38 percent say it is a somewhat serious problem.

A new study finds U.S. attorneys have higher rates of alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety than other highly educated professionals. More than one-fifth of licensed, employed attorneys consume alcohol at levels consistent with problem drinking, compared with 12 percent of other professionals.

A number of researchers and advocates are calling attention to the language of addiction, and the need for using medical terms free of judgment, The Boston Globe reports.

The Obama Administration has been too slow in granting the Food and Drug Administration regulatory authority over e-cigarettes, according to the American Lung Association.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, January 29- Thursday, February 4, 2016.

With the opioid epidemic on the front page of many media reports, the public may think that the use of methamphetamine (meth) has dissipated. However, while taking a backseat to the prescription drug and heroin crisis, the abuse of meth continues to plague our nation.

President Obama is asking for more than $1 billion in new funding to address the opioid epidemic, USA Today reports. The funding would expand access to treatment for prescription drug abuse and heroin use.

The rate of mental disorders among smokers is increasing, a new study concludes. More recent smokers have the highest risk, HealthDay reports.