Latest News

Shaheen bill addresses opioid misuse among student athletes

(Associated Press, March 30) — U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is introducing federal legislation that would authorize $10 million for programs to prevent opioid misuse among students and student athletes.

Heroin Use Skyrocketed in a Decade

Heroin use in the U.S. more than quadrupled during the last decade according to a study from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. 

For Young People: Opioid Overdose Down, but Suicides Increase

The good news: fewer kids are accidentally overdosing on prescription painkillers each year. But unfortunately, more suicidal teens are turning to the opioids, according to the newly published study, Prescription Opioid Exposures Among Children and Adolescents in the United States 2000-2015.

Adolescent opioid use common but decreasing

(Primary Care, March 20) About a quarter of high school seniors have taken prescription opioids, medically or nonmedically, but exposures have declined over the past 2 years, according to a study.

Kids Need To Know Risks of Pot Use

(Healthy Ways, March 23) According to surveys, kids aged 12-17 increasingly think cannabis use is not harmful. Pediatricians report that cannabis “is the drug of choice” for many teens. 

Spring Clean Your Medicine Cabinet

(Consumer Reports, March 22) Your medicine cabinet can become a dumping ground for old drugs. But Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs says the risks for accidental poisoning for kids increase –– with every bottle of pills you keep.

Americans struggling with opioid addiction miss 50% more work than everyone else

(MarketWatch, March 22) Workers with substance use disorders miss nearly 50% more days than their peers, and up to six weeks of work annually, according to an analysis released Wednesday from the National Safety Council, a nonprofit and nongovernmental agency.