Diabetes, heart disease and back pain are the priciest ailments in the United States, a new survey has found. And the cost of healthcare is rising faster than inflation.
The death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman as a result of an apparent heroin overdose has prompted broader discussion about the drug’s prevalence and effects currently across American society. In general, the usage of heroin, its availability and the number of persons arrested for trafficking have grown in recent years.
The early lives of youth in custody in the United States are often marked by experiences with trauma, substance abuse and mental health problems. From detention and correction facilities to camps and community-based programs, the institutions that deal with such youth must address a wide variety of underlying health and wellness issues in order to help rehabilitate and properly serve them.
Performance-enhancing drugs have a long history in sports, of course, but pharmacological research has led to a surge in the number of substances available, each with its own potential for misuse.
Research shows that early exposure to violence can lead to problems such as substance abuse and delinquency. However, studies have not always controlled for factors that could lead to the same results, such as poverty and low education levels. Whether or not exposure to violence is truly the chief factor explaining negative cognitive and behavioral outcomes for young people in urban settings has remained an area in need of further inquiry.
The Foreign Relations Appropriations Act requires that the President submit an annual report identifying countries that produce or serve as transit points for illicit drugs. Based on the report, formal U.S. assistance under the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act may be withheld from countries designated to have “failed demonstrably” to meet their obligations to curb the drug trade.
