The Latest News from Our Field

The number of teens and young adults who drive under the influence of alcohol or a combination of alcohol and marijuana is declining, a new study finds.

This week Cleveland joined the list of more than 100 U.S. cities that have raised the legal age for purchasing tobacco products to 21. Other cities on the list include New York and Kansas City. Hawaii raised the legal smoking age to 21 this summer.

About 100 jails and prisons nationwide are providing departing inmates with Vivitrol, a drug that treats opioid addiction, to reduce rates of addiction and reincarceration, The Boston Globe reports.

Teens who see others drink or use drugs are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior on that same day, a new study suggests. The risk is greatest for young teens who have a “risk-taking” gene linked with sensitivity to substance use exposure.

An increasing number of tourists are deciding to visit Colorado because of the state’s law allowing recreational marijuana, according to a study commissioned by the state’s tourism office.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, December 4- Thursday, December 10, 2015.

Contrary to common stereotypes, some people who drink excessively can learn to reduce their drinking without giving up alcohol altogether, according to the Director of Addiction Services at North Shore-LIJ Health System.

The number of U.S. children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is on the rise, with the largest increase seen in girls and Hispanic children, according to a new study.

A treatment that uses targeted magnetic pulses to the brain may reduce craving and substance use in people addicted to cocaine, a small study suggests.

Several new studies on children with severe epilepsy who have been treated with the marijuana extract cannabidiol suggest some may be helped by the drug, NPR reports.

The vast majority of overdose deaths in Massachusetts in the first six months of 2014 were caused by heroin or a prescription opioid taken along with some other drug or alcohol, according to NPR.

An approach to dealing with addiction that engages families is gaining ground, The Boston Globe reports. Through Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT), family members motivate loved ones to seek help for addiction.

A growing number of Americans are seeking treatment for addiction to heroin and prescription painkillers, while alcohol-related treatment admissions are declining, according to a new report.

An analysis of news coverage of opioid abuse finds the media is more likely to focus on criminal justice than on health issues. The study found 64 percent of news stories about opioids mentioned law enforcement, compared with 41 percent that mentioned prevention, and 3 percent that mentioned expanding treatment.

In the last five years there have been 110 cases of babies and toddlers, whose mothers used opioids during pregnancy, and later died preventable deaths, according to Reuters.

A growing number of the elderly are becoming addicted to prescription painkillers, experts tell U.S. News & World Report. Caretakers and doctors often fail to spot the signs of addiction in older patients.

A new study suggests smoking high-potency marijuana may cause damage to nerve fibers responsible for communication between the brain’s two hemispheres.

Women’s drinking habits are starting to catch up to men’s, according to a new study from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. While men still drink more, a growing number of women are drinking, and drinking more frequently.

China has banned the sale of more than 100 synthetic drugs, the Miami Herald reports. One of the drugs is flakka, a highly addictive synthetic drug that has hit Florida hard and has been spreading to other states.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, November 20- Thursday, December 3, 2015.

Not all Hispanic groups are equal when it comes to drinking and alcohol-related problems, according to an expert who has been studying the issue for many years.

Increasing cigarette taxes may contribute to a drop in the infant death rate, a new study suggests. The higher price of cigarettes may discourage more women from smoking during and after pregnancy, the researchers report in Pediatrics.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declined to approve a new drug application for a second nasal spray version of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, Medscape reports. The FDA approved a nasal spray version of naloxone last month.

A new study finds children who take stimulants to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are more likely to be bullied at school than their peers who do not have attention disorders. Those who have ever shared their prescriptions are at highest risk of bullying, Time reports.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse will award $100,000 to researchers who develop apps for addiction research, according to Fortune. The apps must be built using Apple’s medical research framework.