Latest Drugs Headlines
All the headlines from our Drugs Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Declarations
Apr 20 2015 // Big Step Forward “This will be a big step forward in the city’s overall resiliency efforts as we prepare to deal with the future of extreme weather.” —New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on the Federal...
Pfizer Refutes Claims of Zoloft Link to Birth Defects
Apr 12 2015 // Pfizer Inc. researchers concluded last year that pregnant women taking Zoloft risked having babies with heart defects, according to evidence made public by a lawyer at the first trial of more than 1,000 lawsuits over the...
Former Alabama Athletic Director’s Family Suing Drug Makers for Wrongful Death
Apr 8 2015 // The daughter of former University of Alabama Athletic Director Mal Moore has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against two companies that manufactured, promoted and sold a heart medication he took. Heather Moore Cooke filed...
Oklahoma Prescription Drug Database Bill Signed by Governor
Apr 6 2015 // Doctors in Oklahoma would be required to check a new prescription drug database before prescribing certain addictive drugs under a bill signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin. After the Senate voted 35-10 on March 31 for the...
