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School-Based Interventions Can Reduce Teen Substance Use New research from the United Kingdom shows that personality-based interventions -- delivered by mental-health specialists or teachers given brief training -- can substantially reduce drug and alcohol use in teens. Wall Street Traders Bullish on Marijuana, Prescription Drugs In the high-flying '80s and '90s Wall Street employees were known as big cocaine users, but in these more sedate times investment professionals are turning to marijuana and prescription drugs to ease their stress. NIDA to Launch National Drug Facts Week The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced it is launching National Drug Facts Week, a new national awareness week designed to bring together teens and scientific experts to discuss the facts about drug abuse. ER Visits for Synthetic Marijuana on the Rise An herb-and-chemical compound sold legally in the U.S. as incense is sending many of those who smoke it for its marijuana-like high to the hospital. CASA Report Warns Parents about Nexus of Drugs and Gangs in Schools; Students Less Concerned American students are essentially split over the question of whether their school is 'drug free,' but students still cite drugs as a major problem facing people their age, according to a new survey of 12- to 17-year-olds from the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. Mass. Approves Online Tracking of Prescription Painkillers Massachusetts health officials approved a plan on Aug. 11 that will allow doctors and pharmacists to track narcotics prescriptions online -- a major step toward reducing “doctor shopping” in patients addicted to prescription drugs, officials said. Amphetamine Misuse Linked to Artery Damage in Young Adults Young adults who misuse amphetamines have a three-fold risk for tears in the aorta -- the body's largest artery -- compared with nonusers. SAMHSA Report Pinpoints Local Substance Use Problems Throughout U.S. A new report shows that behavioral health problems affect every community throughout America - but in unique, and sometimes surprising ways. The report, based on a nationwide survey commissioned by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), offers detailed analyses of the substance use problems occurring within these smaller geographical areas. Drug and Alcohol Use Lower among Hispanic Americans, Survey Finds Hispanic-American adults use drugs and alcohol less frequently than the general population, according to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA's) National Survey on Drug Use and Health Bill to Cut Penalties for Crack Cocaine Heads to Obama Mandatory-minimum prison sentences for crack-cocaine would only kick in when defendants possess 28 grams or more of the drug under legislation passed this week by the U.S. House of Representatives. Colo. Set to Regulate Medical Marijuana from 'Seed to Sale' The head of Colorado's medical-marijuana enforcement effort promises a comprehensive plan that other states could adopt as a model. Washington Imposes New Rules on Prescribing Powerful Painkillers The state of Washington plans to impose tough new rules on doctors who want to prescribe opiate painkillers to patients, including mandatory third-party evaluation of patients who request higher doses of the drug but don???t show signs of improvement. Conn. Candidates Spar on Marijuana Use, Legalization Republican candidates for Congress are slinging accusations of hypocrisy over marijuana use and policy, including the spectacle of a candidate who favors legalization defending a YouTube video focused on his opponent???s arrest a decade earlier for marijuana possession. Doctors Not Reporting Impaired Colleagues, Survey Finds A study from the Harvard Medical School found that 17 percent of doctors knew of drunk, addicted or otherwise incompetent colleagues, but one-third said they did nothing to report the behavior. Police Challenged by Crashes Involving Prescription Drugs Car crashes involving prescription drugs are often harder to detect and prosecute than those involving alcohol or illicit drugs. Proposed FDA Plan on Prescription Drugs Rejected A lack of mandated training for physicians has helped sink a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal intended to curb misuse of prescription drugs. Veterans Dept. Allows Use of Medical Marijuana Veterans in states with medical-marijuana laws will be allowed to use the drug without losing their access to pain medication under a new policy announced by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Oakland OKs Plan for Four Big Marijuana Farms to Supply Medical Users Seeking greater control over who supplies marijuana to legal medical users, the city of Oakland has approved a plan that would license four large marijuana farms and sets hefty regulatory fees on the operations. Parents Who Use Drugs to Quell Children Called Abusive Sedating children with over-the-counter or prescription medications may be an under-recognized form of abuse. Heroin Addicts in Africa Engage in Dangerous Blood-Sharing 'Flashblooding,' the act of injecting one heroin addict's blood into another to share a high or ward off withdrawal, is becoming increasingly common in some African cities.

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