Featured Drug Articles

Research from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio finds that babies born to mothers who used cocaine heavily during pregnancy do not have lower IQ scores than other children, as originally believed, Reuters reported May 26.

A proposal to raise Missouri's tobacco tax and dedicate the proceeds to antismoking and other health programs has been approved by a state judge who said it should appear on the statewide ballot in November, the Springfield News-Leader reported Sept. 12.

A law that strips financial aid from students who admit to past drug offenses resulted in one in 400 applicants being denied federal education assistance, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education.

Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have identified 51 chromosomal regions that may play a genetic role in alcoholism.

A proposed 84-cent-per-pack increase in Oregon's cigarette tax would be used to pay for healthcare for uninsured children in the state, said Gov. Ted Kulongoski.

Reynolds American Inc. and Philip Morris USA have spent at least $55 million in an attempt to defeat a California ballot proposal that would raise taxes on cigarettes by $2.60 per pack, the Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 10.

The number of U.S. women dealing with drug addiction has skyrocketed over the past few decades, as has the female prison population, but there still are few addiction treatment programs designed to meet the specific needs of women, the North County Times reported Jan. 1.

Smoke Less Ohio, a group that is pushing a weaker alternative to a tough indoor-smoking proposal endorsed by health groups, failed to report to the Secretary of State's office that the vast majority of its funding comes from tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds, the Toledo Blade reported Sept. 14.

Western states like Wyoming, Montana and North and South Dakota have binge-drinking levels far higher than the national average, and local experts say that boredom plays a huge role in the problem, the New York Times reported Sept. 2.

According to a just-released government report, smoking by pregnant women dropped by one-third in the 1990s, with a particularly sharp decline among women in their late 20s and early 30s. Health officials are, however, concerned by the growing numbers of expecting teenagers who are acting counter to this healthy trend.

A recent survey of teens conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that one in four questioned said they had a friend or class mate whom they knew had used Ecstasy, and 17% said they knew more than one user. Often referred to as this decade’s version of LSD, Ecstasy is, according to some of its users “the hottest drug going now.â€

In a case centering on the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a pair of unusual Virginia laws regarding alcohol sales and possession.

From the Princeton Review to CollegeHumor.com, the availability of alcohol and other drugs remains a key measure of a college's "fun" quotient, the Washington Post reported Jan. 3.

For most adults, moderate alcohol use--up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and older people--causes few if any problems. However, for a range of circumstances, certain people should not drink at all.

Two different studies explored whether a physician's approach to his patients' alcohol use is complicated by his own drinking habits.