Latest Drugs Headlines
All the headlines from our Drugs Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Affordable Care Act Attracting Younger, Healthier Insureds
Jul 1 2015 // Obamacare is attracting younger and healthier people to its coverage plans this year, according to research by Express Scripts Holding Co., a trend that could help balance and sustain the law’s insurance...
Task force: Massachusetts Is in Midst of Opioid Abuse Epidemic
Jun 24 2015 // Massachusetts is in the midst of an epidemic of deadly opioid abuse, according to a task force created by Gov. Charlie Baker that said Monday that drug addiction must be considered a medical disease. The 18-member group...
West Virginia Looks to Tackle Highest Drug Overdose Rate in Nation
Jun 19 2015 // West Virginia has the highest rate of overdose deaths in the U.S., according to a report released this week, further spotlighting Appalachia’s festering drug abuse problem that is also fueling a rise in hepatitis C...
Workers Can Be Fired For Off-Duty Marijuana Use, Colorado Court Says
Jun 16 2015 // Pot may be legal in Colorado, but you can still be fired for using it. The state Supreme Court ruled Monday that a medical marijuana patient who was fired after failing a drug test cannot get his job back. The case has big...
DEA ‘Operation Pilluted’ Spans 4 States, Nets 280 Drug Trafficking Arrests
Jun 15 2015 // The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and federal prosecutors have made 280 arrests in what they call an “unprecedented enforcement action” against doctors, pharmacies and pill mills for alleged...
Montana Court Rules Using Inhalants Can Lead to DUI Charge
Jun 12 2015 // A motorist can be charged and convicted of driving under the influence for being in control of a vehicle after inhaling aerosol propellants, the Montana Supreme Court has ruled. The 5-0 decision this week rejected a Butte...
Health Insurers in Illinois, Michigan Seeking Rate Hikes for 2016
Jun 3 2015 // Blue Cross Blue Shield and Blue Care Network, which sell medical insurance to more than half of Michigan residents who buy their own coverage under the federal health care law, are seeking 2016 premium increases that...
West Virginia Supreme Court Rules Addicts Can Sue Pharmacies, Doctors
Jun 1 2015 // Pharmacies and doctors who negligently prescribe pain medication can be sued for enabling people’s addictions, the West Virginia Supreme Court ruled. The ruling last month involved 29 people who were patients of...
Jury: Abbott Must Pay $23M in Punitive Damages Over Depakote
May 28 2015 // Abbott Laboratories was ordered to pay $23 million in punitive damages to a Minnesota girl whose family blamed the company’s epilepsy drug Depakote for causing her birth defects. It was the first verdict against the...
Why Law Firms Like Facebook to Track Down Medical Victims
May 27 2015 // For ambulance chasers, persistence and a phone book just don’t cut it anymore. Law firms, which once relied on television commercials, billboards, and cold calling numbers in the white pages to find plaintiffs for...
DEA ‘Operation Pilluted’ Nets 280 Drug Trafficking Arrests in 4 States
May 22 2015 // The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and federal prosecutors have made 280 arrests in what they call an “unprecedented enforcement action” against doctors, pharmacies and pill mills for alleged...
Here’s What’s Happening to Healthcare Costs for Typical Family
May 20 2015 // The cost of healthcare for a typical American family of four will rise about 6.3 percent this year, or $1,456, driven in great measure by higher prescription drug prices. The latest study by the consulting and actuarial...
West Virginia Supreme Court Rules Addicts Can Sue Pharmacies, Doctors
May 18 2015 // Pharmacies and doctors who negligently prescribed pain medication can be sued for enabling people’s addictions, the West Virginia Supreme Court ruled. The ruling involved 29 people who were patients of Mingo...
Louisiana Medical Marijuana Bill Advances with Sheriffs’ Support
May 18 2015 // Louisiana law enforcement associations have previously blocked efforts to get medical marijuana to patients who suffer, despite a 1991 state law allowing its medicinal use. That changed on April 29. Michael Ranatza, head...
New Mexico AG Says Uber, Lyft Drivers Need Drug Testing
May 18 2015 // Drivers of ridesharing services Lyft and Uber in New Mexico should face strict drug testing requirements like taxi drivers and keep detailed records of such tests, the state Attorney General Hector Balderas told regulators...
New Mexico AG Says Uber, Lyft Drivers Need Drug Testing
May 1 2015 // Drivers of ridesharing services Lyft and Uber in New Mexico should face strict drug testing requirements like taxi drivers and keep detailed records of such tests, the state Attorney General Hector Balderas told regulators...
Louisiana Senate Committee OKs Medical Marijuana Bill
Apr 30 2015 // Louisiana law enforcement associations have previously blocked efforts to get medical marijuana to patients who suffer, despite a 1991 state law allowing its medicinal use. That changed on April 29. Michael Ranatza, head...
Florida Gov. Scott Agrees to Limit Drug Testing of State Employees
Apr 23 2015 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s long running battle over whether the state could drug test state workers is finally coming to an end. Scott and the union that represents state workers have reached a settlement in the case...
Vermont Lawmakers Weigh Roadside Spit Test to Detect Drugged Driving
Apr 23 2015 // Vermont is one of a growing number of states looking at following Colorado and Washington’s lead by legalizing marijuana, but there’s a problem. How can police identify those too stoned to drive? The Vermont...
Pfizer Wins First of 1,000 Suits Claiming Antidepressant Zoloft Link to Birth Defects
Apr 20 2015 // Pfizer Inc.’s Zoloft antidepressant didn’t cause a boy’s birth defects, a jury concluded in the first trial of more than 1,000 lawsuits over what was once the U.S.’s most popular mood-altering...
