Addiction News & Policy Update for Week Ending March 3

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Many patients receive prescription opioids during treatment for opioid addiction

More than two in five people receiving buprenorphine, a drug commonly used to treat opioid addiction, are also given prescriptions for other opioid painkillers - and two-thirds are prescribed opioids after their treatment is complete, a new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study suggests.
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Ice Cream At 5% Alcohol By Volume

In 2008, the then New York (NY) governor, David Paterson signed a bill to allow the production and sale of wine-infused frozen desserts, but producers were limited to 5 percent alcohol by volume and prohibited from selling the product in NY state in packages smaller than a pint. The size restriction was presented as a way to keep individually wrapped items out of the hands of children.
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A Medicine That Blunts The Buzz Of Alcohol Can Help Drinkers Cut Back

If you drink more alcohol than you want to or should, you're not alone. A nationwide survey by the National Institutes of Health found that 28 percent of adults in the U.S. are heavy drinkers or drink more than is recommended.
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After CVS Stopped Cigarette Sales, Smokers Stopped Buying Elsewhere, Too

The decision by CVS Health CVS -1.02% to stop selling cigarettes contributed to a drop in tobacco purchases for all retailers, new data from the drugstore giant shows.
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From heroin addiction to alcohol-related problems

Methadone programs and long-term therapy using other opioids evidently work. People addicted to heroin consume less heroin, cocaine and even alcohol at the beginning of the treatment. As a long-term study reveals, however, the alcohol consumption among these patients has increased considerably since the 1990s.
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As alcohol gender gap narrows, women's risk of addiction increases

Last year, American novelist Joyce Maynard faced a harsh realization: Her habit of reaching for a glass of wine whenever she felt stressed had crossed the line into an addiction.
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The Devastating Impact of Addiction in Rural America and What’s Being Done About It

Recently, news stories have focused on how addiction is ravaging families and communities, particularly in rural areas. Around one in five Americans lives in a rural area, defined as a community with fewer than 2,500 people.
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NASEM Report Recommends Removing Barriers to Cannabis Research

Last month, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released a major new report on the health effects of cannabis and its constituent compounds, based on a comprehensive assessment of research conducted since 1999.
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Animal study finds sons of cocaine-using fathers have profound memory impairments

Fathers who use cocaine at the time of conceiving a child may be putting their sons at risk of learning disabilities and memory loss.
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Aggression disorder linked to greater risk of substance abuse

People with intermittent explosive disorder (IED) - a condition marked by frequent physical or verbal outbursts - are at five times greater risk for abusing substances such as alcohol, tobacco and marijuana than those who don't display frequent aggressive behavior, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Chicago.
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