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The Latest News from Our Field

We curate a digest of the latest news in our field for advocates, policymakers, community coalitions and all who work toward shaping policies and practices to effectively prevent substance use and treat addiction. Sign up here to receive weekly updates straight to your inbox.

Trump delivers first State of the Union of second term

President Trump delivered his State of the Union address on Tuesday. While he touched on health care and addressing fentanyl trafficking, the addiction crisis was not otherwise a central focus.

Overdose deaths decline but new risks emerge as drug supply changes

The illicit drug supply is changing to include lethal combinations of fentanyl with stimulants, sedatives, and novel synthetics, but testing and treatment have not caught up with this reality.

Nicotine pouches marketed as health hack

Companies and influencers are pushing purported cognitive and health benefits of oral nicotine as a productivity or wellness aid, but experts are concerned about youth use, addiction, and other health effects.

NIH director Bhattacharya to lead CDC

NIH Director Bhattacharya took on the additional role of acting CDC director, as CDC continues to operate without a Senate-confirmed, full-time director.

States tackle parity violations

A Nevada report found that at least 16 insurance carriers in the state likely violated parity last year, while EmblemHealth agreed to a $2.5 million settlement with New York for continued ghost networks.

Research News Roundup: February 26, 2026

View our curated digest of the latest research news, including how a large study has found that teenagers who use cannabis are at a significantly higher risk of developing serious mental health conditions, specifically bipolar disorder and psychotic disorders. Because cannabis is becoming legal in more regions, the researchers suggest that doctors and parents need better educational tools to talk to teens about these risks. They also recommend that lawmakers create stronger policies to help prevent or delay marijuana use among young people to protect their long-term mental health.

NYT Editorial Board: Regulate marijuana to curb downsides

The New York Times Editorial Board argues that while America should not go back to marijuana prohibition, lawmakers should do more to regulate marijuana to address the problems that have arisen from legalization.

Shift from injecting to smoking opioids

Drug consumption has shifted away from injection and towards smoking, decreasing the risks of infections and fatal overdose.

DOL and Kaiser settle investigations into MH/SUD access issues

The Department of Labor announced a settlement with Kaiser Foundation Health Plans to resolve investigations into the company’s failure to provide timely and appropriate access to mental health and substance use services.

Lawsuit could establish protections for harm reduction services under ADA

A lawsuit brought by a local ministry against a Washington county could help establish Americans with Disabilities Act protections for harm reduction services like syringe exchange programs.

Flawed drug tests and processes harm families

A Marshall Project investigation of state and federal data documents the scope and issues associated with parental referrals to law enforcement over allegations of substance use during pregnancy.

Research News Roundup: February 19, 2026

View our curated digest of the latest research news, including how teenagers and young adults with a weaker brain reward signal were significantly more likely to develop problems with cannabis use over the following two years. The weaker the signal, the greater the risk. This same brain marker did not predict alcohol problems in the same way. The practical takeaway from this is that this brain signal could potentially serve as an early warning sign, helping identify young people at higher risk for cannabis problems.

Drug overdose deaths continue decline in 2024

Final numbers show that there were 79,385 overdose deaths in 2024, a 26% decrease in the overdose death rate from 2023.

Federal public health data access reduced

The Trump administration has restricted public health data collection and access, which may make it difficult to create policy interventions to address substance use.

Research News Roundup: February 12, 2026

View our curated digest of the latest research news, including how individuals demonstrating higher levels of substance use severity appear to exhibit a specific pattern of inconsistency when evaluating the negative consequences of their choices. While previous research often focused on a general insensitivity to costs, newer evidence suggests that the primary issue may be a failure to consistently apply learned cost information to future decisions.

Trump administration launches Great American Recovery Initiative

A new executive order created the Great American Recovery Initiative, and HHS announced several accompanying new programs and policies to support addiction treatment and recovery.

NIH grant panels face critical member loss

NIH panels that review grant applications are losing members, threatening the agency's ability to distribute funding in coming months.

Opvee’s downfall in opioid crisis

Billed as an overdose reversal medication built for the fentanyl era, Opvee went bust without buy-in from people who use drugs and harm reduction organizations.

Research News Roundup: February 5, 2026

View our curated digest of the latest research news, including the finding that underage youth report significantly higher exposure to cannabis marketing than adults—reaching 63.0% among those aged 16–20. This trend persists even in states with robust regulations, suggesting that while comprehensive bans on traditional channels like billboards and at sports events effectively reduce "physical" exposure, digital and social media environments remain a pervasive and largely unregulated frontier.

House approves HHS funding bill rejecting cuts

The House approved HHS funding last week ahead of the deadline for a partial government shutdown Friday, but major barriers remain in the Senate.

FDA considers Zyn marketing approval

FDA held a meeting last week to consider whether Philip Morris International should be allowed to advertise its Zyn nicotine pouches as a less-harmful alternative to smoking cigarettes.

New SAMHSA advisory on eating disorders and SUD

SAMHSA released new guidance for health care practitioners on integrated, evidence-based care for co-occurring eating disorders and substance use disorders.

Research News Roundup: January 29, 2026

View our curated digest of the latest research news, including how different addictive substances affect sleep in different ways. Some patterns appear across multiple drugs, and in certain cases, the same substance causes changes in both how people actually sleep (measured objectively) and how they feel they're sleeping (what they report). More research is needed to systematically compare how different substances specifically impact sleep.

US overdose deaths continue decline in 2025

Provisional CDC data shows that overdose deaths have continued to decline, with deaths down 21% in the 12-month period ending August 2025 compared to the year before.

OPM: HHS workforce shrunk by 18 percent in 2025

Data from the federal Office of Personnel Management shows that HHS started the year with 18% fewer employees than in 2024, with SAMHSA losing nearly half of its employees.
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