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The Latest News from Our Field

We curate a digest of the latest news in our field for advocates, policymakers, community coalitions and all who work toward shaping policies and practices to effectively prevent substance use and treat addiction. Sign up here to receive weekly updates straight to your inbox.

Former FDA scientist: FDA authorized Zyn despite microplastics concern

A former FDA scientist accused the agency of authorizing Zyn nicotine pouches without knowing what the pouches themselves are made of.

Coalition challenges FDA e-cigarette policy

A coalition of public health organizations, pediatricians, and parents filed a federal lawsuit challenging FDA’s new enforcement policy allowing e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches to be marketed without FDA authorization.

Advancing psychedelic therapies for mental health

Several HHS agencies and the VA are taking steps to advance the development of psychedelic therapies for mental illness, following President Trump's executive order earlier this year.

SAMHSA and CDC nominee updates

President Trump nominated Timothy Westlake, an emergency medicine physician and SAMHSA chief of staff, to lead SAMHSA. Dr. Erica Schwartz, Trump's nominee to lead CDC, had a confirmation hearing.

STAT: Tackling America’s alcohol epidemic

STAT published articles in its “The Deadliest Drug” series on excessive alcohol use outlining recommendations for addressing the alcohol epidemic in the U.S. and highlighting charts that explain the crisis.

Arizona becomes new center of overdose deaths

Unlike nationally, overdose deaths are rising in Arizona, driven by shifts in the drug supply, widespread use of methamphetamine, high temperatures, and homelessness in the region.

Research News Roundup: July 23, 2026

View our curated digest of the latest research news, including a major systematic review and meta-analysis that offers reassuring evidence that requiring cigarettes to contain substantially less nicotine is unlikely to cause widespread compensatory smoking. Across 17 randomized trials involving 5,500 participants, people assigned to very-low-nicotine cigarettes generally did not smoke more cigarettes or experience greater carbon-monoxide exposure than those using conventional cigarettes. By addressing one of the principal concerns surrounding the FDA’s proposed low-nicotine product standard, the findings strengthen the case that such a policy could reduce nicotine dependence without inadvertently increasing exposure to the toxic products of combustion.

Antismoking efforts stall

The administration has taken several steps to unravel federal antismoking initiatives and delivered significant policy wins to tobacco companies.

DEA targets tianeptine as Schedule I drug

DEA issued a proposed rule to place tianeptine, "gas station heroin," in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

ASAM report highlights 2026 legislative trends

An American Society of Addiction Medicine report on state legislative efforts related to addiction in the first half of 2026 found top priorities included naloxone, insurance coverage, and access to MOUD.

Research News Roundup: July 16, 2026

View our curated digest of the latest research news, including a study that found that flavored nicotine-pouch use was nearly universal among U.S. adolescents who had ever tried the products. Among these young people, 97% most often used a non-tobacco flavor, with mint the leading choice, while approximately 80% named ZYN as their most frequently used brand. The findings suggest that flavors and brand appeal may play an important role in adolescent experimentation and support consideration of stronger regulatory protections.

DEA to schedule 7-OH and related substances

DEA filed its intent to temporarily place certain levels of 7-OH and three related substances into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

FDA allows ZYN to be marketed as safer alternative to smoking

FDA issued orders to allow ZYN nicotine pouches to be marketed as less harmful to health than cigarettes.

Health programs must agree to CDC deprioritization of harm reduction

CDC required health programs at the state, territorial, tribal, and local level to agree to a list of agency priorities, which deprioritizes harm reduction.

STAT: Alcohol industry influence in federal policy

STAT investigations found that the federal government has downplayed alcohol’s risks and derailed efforts to understand and prevent related harms, while the alcohol industry has used allies and money to push favorable policy.

Research News Roundup: July 9, 2026

View our curated digest of the latest research news, including how a national study of 1,501 opioid treatment programs (OTPs) found that state methadone policies shape not only access to OTPs, but also the range of services available within them. Programs in states with more restrictive OTP rules were less likely to offer naltrexone and less likely to provide all three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder. These programs were also less likely to offer key behavioral health supports, including mental health services, trauma-informed counseling, and contingency management. The findings suggest that restrictive state policies may weaken access to comprehensive, evidence-based OUD care at points of critical treatment entry.

DOJ memo challenges disability rights laws

A DOJ memo goes against decades of law and practice that has prioritized community-based care over institutionalization for people with disabilities, mental illness, and substance use disorder.

DEA fentanyl interdiction tactics questioned

The AP reported that in an attempt to pursue bigger criminal cases against fentanyl traffickers, DEA agents monitored, but did not seize, shipments of fentanyl pills, allowing many to enter New Mexico communities.

HHS advisories on using pharmacists to expand MOUD access

Federal health agencies issued advisories to states on policies to expand access to MOUD, including authorizing pharmacists to prescribe the medications.

New York Times: Kratom industry influence in regulation

The kratom industry has strongly lobbied the administration to resist regulation, working to differentiate kratom from 7-OH products and downplaying the risks associated with kratom.

Research News Roundup: July 2, 2026

View our curated digest of the latest research news, including how Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer known on the street as "tranq," has become one of the most dangerous additions to the illicit drug supply, increasingly mixed into fentanyl. Yet despite how often it shows up in overdoses, almost nothing is known about what it does once it is inside the human body. A new study begins to fill that gap by measuring xylazine directly in the blood of overdose patients — and the finding is striking: the drug lingers far longer than expected, clearing much more slowly in people than animal research had predicted. That may help explain why these patients stay sedated so long, and it gives doctors and medical examiners something they've never had much of before: real numbers to work from.

HHS releases over $700M for behavioral health, including delayed grants

HHS announced over $700 million in federal grants for addressing homelessness, mental health, and addiction, including $96 million for the new STREETS program and $612 million for existing behavioral health grant programs.

FDA memo provides more detail on authorization of flavored e-cigarettes

FDA's memo on its decision to authorize two flavored e-cigarettes is lacking research details and acknowledges that the products were not better at helping people quit smoking than tobacco-flavored products.

Shift in attitudes on medications for addiction treatment

A STAT article reports that despite more widespread support in recent years, there has been a recent resurgence of hostility toward medications for addiction treatment among federal officials.

Alcohol study reveals health risks

A SAMHSA-run study on alcohol as part the U.S. dietary guidelines update, which was never released by the administration, was published in a scientific journal. It found that there was no net health benefit from alcohol and that even moderate amounts carry risk.
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