Tobacco & Marijuana

Management of Cocaine Abuse and Dependence

During the 20th century, there have been recurrent episodes of cocaine abuse in the United States that have achieved epidemic proportions. Although the total…    

Secondhand Smoke Exposure Worsens Cystic Fibrosis

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered the first genetic evidence that secondhand smoke can worsen lung disease. The report in this week’s Journal of…    

New research explains link between smoking and SIDS

A new study sheds light on the relationship between women who smoke while pregnant - or are exposed to second-hand smoke - and an…    

Morphine dependency blocked by single genetic change

Morphine’s serious side effect as a pain killer – its potential to create dependency – has been almost completely eliminated in research with mice…    

Marijuana Withdrawal as Bad as Withdrawal from Cigarettes

Research by a group of scientists studying the effects of heavy marijuana use suggests that withdrawal from the use of marijuana is similar to…    

Cigarettes leave deadly path by purging protective genes

A University of Rochester scientist discovered that the toxins in cigarette smoke wipe out a gene that plays a vital role in protecting the…    

Nurses’ Advice Boosts Smokers’ Chances of Quitting

Despite countless public service ads, educational programs and the scary warnings on cigarette packs, roughly one in every five American adults still smokes. However,…    

Pain Patients Should Not be Punished for Opioid Medication Abuse or Addiction

“Any practitioner prescribing opioids for chronic use should be accountable for having a strategy in place if medication abuse or addiction occurs,” says Peggy…    

Should Heroin be Prescribed to Addicts?

In this week’s BMJ experts debate whether heroin should be prescribed to addicts who are difficult to treat.

Maintenance treatment with heroin…    

Women Who Smoke at Increased Risk of Lung Disease

Here’s another reason not to smoke, especially for women: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

This disabling breathing disorder is increasingly becoming a…    

“Brain Signature” for Cigarette Cravings Identified

A new brain imaging study by researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania shows that cigarette cravings in smokers who…    

Second-hand Tobacco Smoke in Early Infancy Boosts Children’s Allergy Risk

Breathing in second-hand tobacco smoke in early infancy boosts the risk of developing allergies, suggests research published ahead of print in the journal…    

Nicotine metabolism among African American and white smokers

Nicotine metabolism among African American and white smokers: Group and intraindividual differences in glucuronidation

It has long been known that African-American smokers…    

The modern cigarette, an unregulated disaster

The modern cigarette is an unmitigated public health disaster, more so than tobacco used in any other form. Together with other types of tobacco…    

Join the Great American Smokeout

Every year, smokers across the nation take part in the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout by smoking less or quitting for the day.…    

Current Smokers Cost Medicaid Nearly $10 Billion

Five years after all current smokers who receive Medicaid benefits quit smoking, program expenditures would be an estimated $9.7 billion lower, according to a…    

Nicotine may enhance attention and working memory in recovering alcoholics

* Alcoholics in early recovery tend to have impaired cognitive functioning.
* Nicotine is known to have beneficial effects under certain…    

Secondhand smoke damages lungs, MRIs show

It’s not a smoking gun, but it’s smoking-related, and it’s there in bright medical images: evidence of microscopic structural damage deep in the lungs,…    

Cigarette Smoke and Alcohol Damage Hearts Worse As Combo

Tobacco smoke-filled air is bad for cardiovascular health, and drinking alcohol at the same time only makes it worse, according to researchers at the…    

Football game days tops for drinking among college students

College students drink larger amounts of alcohol on football game days, comparable to well-known drinking days such as New Year’s Eve and Halloween, according…    

Nicotine byproduct found in babies of smokers

Babies of smokers have levels of the nicotine byproduct cotinine in their urine that are five times higher than babies of non-smokers, researchers report.…    

Nicotine addiction slashed in test of new cigarette smoking strategy

Scientists are reporting the first successful strategy to reduce smokers’ nicotine dependence while allowing them to continue smoking. The study provides strong support for…    

A New Reason to Quit for the Great American Smoke Out

Most people are well aware of the risk of cancer from smoking, but few realize the damage smoking causes throughout the body’s vascular system.…    

Nicotine vaccine helps some people quit smoking

A vaccine aimed at helping people quit smoking by blunting the effects of nicotine doubled the number who could kick the habit but overall…    

Antibiotic That Appears To Control Phobias May Also Be Useful In Treating Addiction

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory provide further evidence that a drug known as D-cycloserine could play a role in…