Targeted efforts needed to stem fentanyl crisis, study warns

Published Date: 17 Sep 2025

A new study illuminates how some areas of the country have been hit much harder than others by the fentanyl epidemic, which took more than 70,800 lives in 2022 alone.

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WHO chief urges clampdown on nicotine products aimed at kids

Sleek-looking disposable e-cigarettes and candy-flavored nicotine pouches are among a range of new products targeting young people and fueling a new wave of tobacco and nicotine addiction, the WHO warned Monday.

Unregulated and unsafe: Expert warns of risks in substance use reduction apps

In a commentary published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers at Rutgers Health, Harvard University and the University of Pittsburgh discuss the impact of unregulated mobile health and generative ...

Detection is not prevention: Will drug testing drivers really make NZ roads safer?

The government's new mandate to carry out random oral-fluid roadside drug testing marks a milestone in New Zealand's road safety policy.

The shocking cost of inaction on alcohol in Australia

Alcohol-related diseases and injuries have the potential to cost the Australian health care system a staggering $68 billion over 60 years if nothing is done to stop the impact.

Opinion: How e-cigarettes compromise children's human rights

Exposing children to e-cigarettes compromises their human rights. These products should be regulated in a way that puts children's best interests first and protects them from the harms associated with nicotine consumption ...

Why there may be a link to ADHD and substance use among young sexual minority men

Young sexual minority men—a term used to describe gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men—with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are more likely to begin using substances such as cigarettes, ...

Todays Updates

EMA Backs Breast Cancer SERD After FDA No Vote

The recommendation follows phase 3 data showing longer progression-free survival when patients switched to camizestrant plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor.

Datopotamab Deruxtecan Earns New Breast Cancer Indication

The antibody drug conjugate was approved by the FDA for certain patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Todays Updates

EMA Backs Breast Cancer SERD After FDA No Vote

The recommendation follows phase 3 data showing longer progression-free survival when patients switched to camizestrant plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor.

Datopotamab Deruxtecan Earns New Breast Cancer Indication

The antibody drug conjugate was approved by the FDA for certain patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Latest News

Sleek-looking disposable e-cigarettes and candy-flavored nicotine pouches are among a range of new products targeting young people and fueling a new wave of tobacco and nicotine addiction, the WHO warned Monday.

In a commentary published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers at Rutgers Health, Harvard University and the University of Pittsburgh discuss the impact of unregulated mobile health and generative ...

The government's new mandate to carry out random oral-fluid roadside drug testing marks a milestone in New Zealand's road safety policy.

Alcohol-related diseases and injuries have the potential to cost the Australian health care system a staggering $68 billion over 60 years if nothing is done to stop the impact.

Exposing children to e-cigarettes compromises their human rights. These products should be regulated in a way that puts children's best interests first and protects them from the harms associated with nicotine consumption ...

Young sexual minority men—a term used to describe gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men—with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are more likely to begin using substances such as cigarettes, ...

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Proposed policy calls for reduced nicotine levels in cigarettes

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has endorsed a federal policy that would make cigarettes far less addictive. The proposed policy by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets a maximum nicotine product ...

The 'hard, slow work' of reducing overdose deaths is having an effect

Illicit drug overdoses and the deaths they cause are trending down this year, despite spikes in a handful of states, according to a Stateline analysis of data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vaping has slowed progress in cutting teen smoking in NZ—new study

Smoking rates among adults have declined in Aotearoa New Zealand over recent decades, from 18% smoking regularly in 2011/12 to 8% in 2023/24.

More than half of young adults in Australia admit to driving drunk the morning after a night out

The belief that "friends do it too" is a major factor in young adults drink-driving (driving drunk) the morning after a night out, according to a study of almost 300 Queenslanders.

A path to safer painkillers: Using cryo-electron microscopy, scientists visualize how opioids engage key brain receptor

Scientists have known for decades that opioids relieve pain by binding to molecular switches in the brain called mu-opioid receptors. What they didn't know—until now—was exactly what happens next.

People with a gambling disorder are more likely to die by suicide, research finds

Published in BJPsych Open, this is the first UK study to use routinely collected NHS data to identify factors that may predict suicide among people with gambling problems. Using anonymous health care records from Wales covering ...

Closer proximity to cannabis retail stores linked with more cannabis use but less drinking

A statewide study of more than 60,000 adult Oregonians shows that living near cannabis retail stores is associated with a greater tendency toward frequent cannabis use but a lower likelihood of heavy alcohol consumption.

Declining union membership could be making US working-classes less happy, more susceptible to drug overdoses

When fewer people belong to unions and unions have less power, the impact goes beyond wages and job security. Those changes can hurt public health and make people more unhappy.

Tobacco still top cancer killer, despite falling smoking rates

Tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of cancer death in the U.S., despite a dramatic decline in smoking, a new American Cancer Society report says.

Reward-related neurons drive risky decision-making differently in male and female rats

Some people with psychiatric conditions, including addiction and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, struggle to control their urges or make decisions under uncertainty. In a collaboration between the University of ...

Among youth who vape, study finds rise in daily use and difficulty quitting

Since 2019, overall rates of nicotine vaping have declined among U.S. youth, but those who continue to vape are showing signs of worsening addiction, according to new USC research.

Heterosexist discrimination linked to alcohol use among LGBQ+ students of immigrant origin

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer college students distressed by harassment targeting their sexuality are at a higher risk for alcohol use, especially if they are of immigrant origin. This is among the findings of a new study ...

More states eliminating insurance hurdles for opioid use disorder medications

A new study from Tulane University found that, over the past decade, more states have moved to make it easier for people with opioid use disorder to get potentially life-saving medication.

Maldives begins 'generational ban' on smoking

The Maldives began implementing a smoking ban Saturday on anyone born after January 2007, becoming the only nation with a generational prohibition on tobacco, the Health Ministry said.

The hidden dangers of vapes: Study reveals chemicals, risks and teen use

Recent testing by a Virginia Commonwealth University forensic toxicology research lab is uncovering the hidden dangers of vapes and cannabis products used by more than a million school-age children across the country each ...

Genes, personality, and family may predict alcohol drinking in teens

Examining genetic, family, and personality characteristics may help identify those who are at high risk for drinking and drinking problems as teenagers. A study, published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, found ...