No Smoking in Michigan
As of May 1, smoking was banned in Michigan workplaces, including bars and restaurants. According to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network, Michigan is the 20th state to adopt such restrictions, with Wisconsin and Kansas ready to soon implement similar laws. With smoke-free workplaces, “workers can make a living without risking their health, patrons and tourists can enjoy time out without the hazards of second hand smoke, and bar and restaurant owners can promote healthy environments,” said the cancer network's chief executive officer John Seffrin, Ph.D. A statement from the cancer network said that almost three-quarters of the United States population is now covered by state, local, or municipal laws that restrict smoking.
Shift in Substance Abuse Patterns
From 1998 to 2008, the pattern of admissions for treatment of substance abuse changed markedly, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Admissions for alcohol abuse alone dropped from 27% of admissions to 23%, while admissions for drug abuse alone rose from 26% to 37%. Concurrent abuse of alcohol and drugs is still widespvread, but admissions for the combination declined from 44% of all admissions to 38% over the decade. Opiate-, stimulant-, and marijuana-related admissions rose, while cocaine-related admissions decreased from 15% to 11%. The majority of adolescent treatment admissions were for marijuana, and half of those admissions came through the criminal justice system. The data also revealed an economic change: In 2000 only 24% of people in treatment were unemployed, while that figure rose to 37% by in 2008. The Treatment Episode Data Set report is available at
wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/teds08/teds2k8natweb.pdf
Governor Signs Meth Law
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (R) has signed a law intended to help law enforcement officials quickly track excessive purchases of pseudoephedrine, the chief ingredient used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. The law creates a new electronic database in an effort to modernize logs that already are kept on paper, making it possible to instantly track excessive purchases of pseudoephedrine. Every pharmacy or retailer selling ephedrine or pseudoephedrine products will be required to enter the purchaser's identifying information into an electronic database prior to any sale. The database then will notify the seller if the purchaser has exceeded the daily or monthly limit for such purchases.
Awards to Fight Kids' Trauma
SAMHSA will award $5.4 million over the next 3 years to three centers investigating treatments and services for children who experience traumatic events such as violence, natural disasters, and terrorism. Northwestern University Medical School, Evanston, Ill.; Children's Hospital, San Diego; and the Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, Conn., will receive the grants as part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative. “By investing resources in improving the services offered, we can replace a lifetime of despair and disability with resiliency and hope,” Pamela S. Hyde, SAMHSA administrator, said in a statement.
Providers Asked to Find 'Bad Ads'
The Food and Drug Administration has launched a program to get health care providers to detect and report misleading drug ads. The 'Bad Ad' program seeks to educate health care providers about their role in ensuring that prescription drug advertising is truthful and not misleading, the FDA said. Initially, agency officials will meet with providers at selected medical conventions and will partner with a handful of medical groups to distribute educational materials. The agency said it will then expand its collaborations with medical societies. The announcement encouraged health care professionals to report a potential violation in drug promotion by sending e-mails to
AARP Tallies Big Drug Price Rise
The AARP said that brand name prescription drug prices rose almost 10% in the year ended March 31, compared with a 0.3% rise in general inflation over the same period. The seniors' advocacy group said that the increase for the 25 brand-name drugs prescribed most often to Medicare beneficiaries for chronic conditions was the largest since the organization began tracking such data in 2002. The report said that prices for a sample of generic drugs declined by about 10% over the same period. Prices of specialty drugs–which include injectables and biologics used to treat cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and other chronic diseases–rose by about 9%. That was less of an increase than in the previous 3 years. Ken Johnson, senior vice president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said in a statement that the report is “based on incomplete information” because prices don't take into account discounts and rebates.