Tag Archives: Public Policy

Join Together News Roundup for July 7, 2010

By | July 8, 2010 | Leave a comment | Filed in Government, Legal, Legislation, Military, Other & Prevention

Missouri has become the fifth U.S. state to ban K2, an herbal blend that mimics the effects of marijuana when smoked ... Price controls on potent alcoholic drinks have helped cut binge drinking, a Canadian province reports ... Healthcare providers need to pay more attention to smoking among gay and lesbian populations, says the American Lung Association ... The long-running legal battle over funding of an Ohio tobacco prevention foundation has reached the state Supreme Court ... …

Synthetic Marijuana Products Outlawed in Missouri

July 7, 2010 | Leave a comment | Filed in Addiction, Alcohol, Drugs, Government, Healthcare, Insurance, Legal, Legislation, Other, Research, Treatment & Young Adults

A blend of herbs sold under the brand name K2 and thought to produce psychoactive effects similar to marijuana has been banned in Missouri, St. Louis Today reported July 6. Gov. Jay Nixon signed a bill into law this week …

Full Plate for FDA Tobacco Center

July 6, 2010 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol, Drugs, Government, Legislation, Other, Prevention & Research

The FDA’s new Center for Tobacco Products has had a busy first year — banning most tobacco flavorings and issuing regulations on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, among other steps — and the coming year promises to be equally active, the …

Join Together News Roundup for June 25, 2010

By | June 28, 2010 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs, Government, Legal, Legislation, Military, Other, Prevention & Research

People in recovery need to deal with their stress to avoid relapse, a new study says ... Most evangelical leaders don’t drink, and those who do say they imbibe in moderation ... Colorado Springs, Colo., has collected more than $123,000 in taxes on medical marijuana in 2010 ... Pregnant women who smoke experience more pelvic pain, researchers say ... …

Pelvic Pain Worse Among Pregnant Smokers

June 25, 2010 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol, Drugs, Government, Legal, Legislation & Other

Women who smoke during pregnancy are 20 percent more likely to report pelvic pain than nonsmokers, Reuters reported June 18. A study of 5,000 women found that reports of pelvic pain were higher even among women who quit smoking during …

Join Together News Roundup for June 24, 2010

By | June 25, 2010 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs, Government, Legal, Legislation, Marketing And Media, Other, Prescription Drugs, Prevention & Youth

Live by the sword, die by the sword: Afghanistan, long the world’s leading exporter of opium poppy, is facing a growing domestic heroin addiction problem ... The U.S. Navy has torpedoed smoking on submarines ... A drink claiming to speed up alcohol metabolism is bogus, critics say ... The tobacco tax in New York City may soon rise to $5.85 per pack ... …

Recovery Schools Help Students Stay Clean

By | June 23, 2010 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs, Government, Healthcare, Legal, Legislation, Other & Prevention

Would you ask an adult in recovery to hang around with his or her drinking buddies every day? Certainly not, yet we ask teens to go back to school after treatment and avoid all their friends who use drugs or alcohol. Recovery Schools are one solution, and are the focus of a national conference next month. …

Join Together News Roundup for June 21, 2010

By | June 21, 2010 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs, Government, Healthcare, Legal, Legislation, Other, Prevention & Research

Golden age vs. the Age of Aquarius: Baby Boomers are increasingly showing up in addiction treatment programs ... Costco is funding a campaign to rewrite the liquor-control laws in the state of Washington ... New FDA rules going into effect this week ban "light" and "mild" branding, impose new warning-label requirements ... Wink, wink, nudge, nudge: Philip Morris tells customers that Marlboro Gold is the same as Marlboro Lights; FDA not amused ... …

Research Society on Alcoholism Honors Robert Zucker, Ph.D.

By | June 16, 2010 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs, Government, Legal & Legislation

Robert A. Zucker, director of the University of Michigan Addiction Research Center, will receive the 2010 Research Society on Alcoholism Distinguished Researcher Award -- the group’s highest honor, according to a June 15 announcement. Zucker has directed the Michigan Longitudinal Study -- which tracks the alcohol and other drug use histories of 2,200 people in 460 families -- for the past 26 years, as well as conducting research into gene-based environmental relationships and the neural circuitry underlying addiction risk. …

Supreme Court Nominee Would Have to Sit Out Major Tobacco Case

June 16, 2010 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol, Drugs, Government, Healthcare, Legal, Legislation, Other, Prevention & Treatment

If Elena Kagan is confirmed as a justice to the U.S. Supreme Court she would have to recuse herself from the government’s case seeking $280 billion in past tobacco-industry profits and $14 billion for a national stop-smoking campaign, the Associated …