Heroin’s Low Cost and Easy Access Attract People Addicted to Painkillers: Study
A study of people addicted to painkillers who began using heroin confirms that many of them were drawn to heroin’s low cost and wide availability. Researchers surveyed 15,000 people being treated for...
View ArticleParents Whose Children Died of Heroin Overdose Call for Changes in Approach
As the demographics of heroin use continue to shift, a growing number of families whose children died of heroin overdoses are calling for a change in approach to addressing the crisis, according to The...
View ArticleTreat Tobacco Dependence in Teens as Seriously as Drug and Alcohol Addiction:...
Tobacco dependence in teens should be treated as seriously as drug or alcohol addiction, according to researchers at the University of Georgia. They found only a small number of counselors in addiction...
View ArticleDark Web Marketplace Increases Availability, Acceptability of Drugs: Expert
The popularity of the “Dark Web” for purchasing illegal drugs is especially worrisome because it is increasing the availability and acceptability of drugs, according to an addiction psychiatry expert....
View ArticleRepublicans Talk About Substance Abuse on the Campaign Trail
A number of Republican presidential candidates are talking about substance abuse on the campaign trail, according to The Washington Post. They are telling personal stories that are gaining a lot of...
View ArticleHealth Insurers in Massachusetts Use New Measures to Address Opioid Crisis
Health insurance companies in Massachusetts are trying new ways to address the opioid crisis. Some are imposing restrictions on prescriptions for OxyContin, Vicodin and other painkillers, while others...
View ArticleMarijuana Entrepreneurs Use Internet to Expand Legal Access
Marijuana entrepreneurs are using the Internet to allow customers legal online access to the drug, according to The New York Times. One company, HelloMD, connects customers with doctors who provide a...
View Article15 Percent of Women Raped While Incapacitated by Alcohol or Drugs in Freshman...
A new study finds 15 percent of college women report having been raped while incapacitated from alcohol or other drugs during their freshman year, Newsweek reports. Freshmen women who had been victims...
View ArticlePlan to Prevent Marijuana Edible Overdoses, Colorado Experts Advise Other States
Unintentional poisonings from marijuana edibles, particularly in children, are an unintended consequence of recreational marijuana legalization in Colorado, two experts say. States considering...
View ArticleSales of E-Cigarettes on the Decline
E-cigarette sales have been declining in recent months, after five years of rapid growth, according to The Wall Street Journal. Among the reasons for the decline are customer dissatisfaction, backlogs...
View Article10 Percent of Americans Have Had Drug Use Disorder But Many Go Untreated: Study
An estimated 10 percent of Americans have had a drug use disorder at some time in their lives, but many have gone untreated, according to a new study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and...
View ArticleMore Than Half of Americans Say They Have Personal Connection to Painkiller...
A new poll finds that 56 percent of Americans say they or someone they know has abused, been addicted to or died from prescription painkillers. Almost half say they personally know someone who has...
View ArticleNIDA Will Award Money to Researchers Who Build Apps for Addiction Research
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 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...
View ArticleHispanic Groups Differ in Drinking Rates, Alcohol-Related Problems: Expert
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. “In general, what you see is a higher...
View ArticleTargeted Magnetic Pulses to the Brain May Reduce Cocaine Cravings: 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. The researchers found the treatment helped 70...
View ArticleSome People Can Reduce Drinking Instead of Giving Up Alcohol Altogether: Expert
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...
View ArticleSome Jails and Prisons Provide Vivitrol for Departing Inmates to Reduce...
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....
View ArticleTeen Use of Prescription Painkillers, Cigarettes, Alcohol Declines
A new report finds the rate of prescription painkiller use among American teenagers is declining. The 2015 Monitoring the Future survey finds the rate of teen use of cigarettes, alcohol and synthetic...
View ArticleFederal Government Advises Supreme Court to Stay Out of States’ Marijuana...
The federal government this week advised the Supreme Court to avoid weighing in on a lawsuit brought by Nebraska and Oklahoma over Colorado’s system of legalized recreational marijuana, according to...
View ArticleMore Than 47,000 Americans Died of Drug Overdoses in 2014, Setting Record
More than 47,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2014, setting a new record, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Drug overdoses increased 6.5 percent from 2013. The...
View Article
