News Top Drug & Alcohol News of the Week   FEATURED NEWS: Text Messaging Program Could Increase Adherence to Buprenorphine Treatment Researchers are testing whether a text messaging system can increase patient adherence to buprenorphine treatment for opioid addiction. Read More Deaths Due to Drug Use Rose More than 600 Percent in 35 Years A new study of every county in the United States finds deaths due to drug use increased more than 600 percent between 1980 and 2014. Read More   Drug Makers Pay Doctors Who Prescribe Large Amounts of Opioids, Analysis Finds Doctors who prescribe large amounts of opioids are receiving big payments from drug makers, according to an analysis by CNN and researchers at Harvard University. The more opioids doctors prescribe, the more money they receive. Read More Help Us Continue to Empower Families:   Donate Now Tell a Friend White House Considers Allowing Prosecutors to Seek Death Penalty for Drug Dealers The Trump Administration is considering allowing prosecutors to seek the death penalty for drug dealers, The Washington Post reports. Read More Bipartisan Group of Governors Calls for More Action to Combat Opioid Crisis Democratic and Republican governors are calling on the federal government to do more to combat the opioid crisis, The Wall Street Journal reports. Read More E-Cigarettes Cause More Harm Than Good, Study Concludes E-cigarettes produce more harm than good, a new study concludes. The researchers say the number of adults who use e-cigarettes to quit smoking is much lower than the number of teens and young adults who start smoking regular cigarettes after trying e-cigarettes. Read More Other Headlines of Interest After Addiction Comes Families’ Second Blow: The Crushing Cost of Rehab (The Wall Street Journal) Opinion: It’s a ‘Hazard’ to Discount the Proven Benefits of Naloxone (Partnership for Drug-Free Kids) A Cocktail Napkin Could Soon Detect Drugs in Your Drink (Glamour) Questions And Answers About Opioids And Chronic Pain (NPR) Some patients are in pain. Some just want drugs. How do I tell them apart? (The Washington Post) Drinking Too Much Alcohol: The Booziest States, Ranked (Newsweek) Opioid Protest at Met Museum Targets Donors Connected to OxyContin (The New York Times) The Health 202: Hey Republicans, Medicaid is a key way to tackle opioid abuse (The Washington Post) Opinion: Why it’s not ‘enabling’ to make drug use safer (The Washington Post) Why the liquor industry wants to get self-driving cars on the road (The Washington Post) How Many Opioid Overdoses Are Suicides? (NPR) House of Medicine opens the door to addiction prevention & treatment: 1,200 physicians formally certified as addiction medicine specialists; pathway open to specialty training for physicians in accredited programs (The Addiction Medicine Foundation) Why Demi Lovato Doesn’t Watch TV Shows That Give Drugs a Lot of Screen Time (Self) How America’s prisons are fueling the opioid epidemic (Vox)   DONATE Parent Toll-Free Helpline: 1-855-DRUGFREE drugfree.org © Partnership for Drug-Free Kids 352 Park Ave South | 9th Floor | New York, NY 10010   privacy policy