A new alcohol screening tool that focuses on two key questions is designed to help pediatricians spot children and adolescents at risk for alcohol-related problems. The doctor asks about the patient’s own drinking, as well as his or her friends’ alcohol use.

The New Jersey Assembly has approved a bill that would allow intravenous drug users to purchase needles with a prescription. The goal of the bill is to halt the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C, according to NJ.com.

Florida’s Department of Health is recommending that the state share information from its new database that tracks prescription pain medicine with other states.

Alcoholic popsicles will be sold in Arizona starting this week, myfoxphoenix.com reports. The new product, Snobar, has an alcohol content of up to 14 percent.

Some experts in the field of substance abuse say there are significant problems with a recent study that concluded medical marijuana laws are associated with a reduction in traffic deaths. The critics point out the study was published as a working paper, and was not a peer-reviewed study in a scientific journal.

Critics of drug and alcohol “zero-tolerance” policies imposed by school districts say principals need more flexibility in dealing with students who break the rules. They argue students’ intent or history should be taken into account.

Foster children who are on Medicaid receive psychotropic drugs, including antidepressants and antipsychotics, at higher rates than children not in foster care who receive their health care through Medicaid, a new government study finds.

Authorities in Iowa say heroin is making a comeback in the state. The Associated Press reports people have switched to heroin from OxyContin, which is now difficult to obtain.

As “pill mills” close in Florida due to increased law enforcement, the sale of opioids is booming online, according to the Palm Beach Post.

Following the success of a coalition of public health organizations, government agencies and health experts in forcing the alcohol industry to remove caffeine from alcoholic beverages, a new public health threat is emerging: supersized alcopops.