A drug and alcohol policy group has released a study of positions on drug policy by the presidential candidates, concluding that "neither John McCain or Barack Obama can really be considered a leader in the drug-policy area." IIn an article published on the Join Together website, author Bob Curley notes that Obama has admitted to youthful marijuana and cocaine use, and McCain has admitted to youthful alcohol abuse. Both candidates are former cigarette smokers, Obama having quit only recently. Curley write that "both appear to have a broader and more nuanced understanding of addiction issues than their White House predecessor." The article also quotes William Cope Moyers, vice president of external affairs at Hazelden treatment center, who says he has "never been more hopeful that addiction treatment will begin to get the attention it deserves, because we at least have two candidates who are aware of the issue." Obama's admission of drug use is already on the table as a potential campaign issue, while McCain purportedly had an alcoholic father, and his wife went through treatment for an addiction to painkillers in the 1990s. Senator McCain has been active in efforts to regulate tobacco advertising, and advocates smoking cessation programs in the workplace. At other times, he has advocated tougher sentencing for drug crimes and capital punishment for international drug traffickers. For his part, Senator Obama supported the Second Chance Act of 2007, which aimed at reintroducing veteran drug defenders to society. He has called for greater use of drug courts and rehabilitation programs in lieu of lengthy prison sentences. He is opposed to efforts to lower the drinking age to 18. McCain is against marijuana legalization, and opposes the use of marijuana for medical purposes. He said he "would not support medical marijuana because I don't think that the preponderance of medical opinion in America agrees...." Obama, according to the Join Together article, while not ready to let people grow their own, told a reporter in March that "my attitude is that if it's an issue of doctors prescribing medical marijuana as a treatment for glaucoma or as a cancer treatment, I think that should be appropriate because there really is no difference between that and a doctor prescribing morphine or anything else." (Source: Addiction Inbox)

The New York Times on recent increases in treatment admissions for 40+ year old women: The actress Tatum O’Neal was arrested recently on charges of buying crack cocaine from a man on the street near her New York City home. She is a 44-year-old mother of three. She has spent years in and out of drug abuse treatment (which she chronicled in her 2004 memoir), and according to her publicist she will continue to “attend meetings” for drug and alcohol abuse. Ms. O’Neal illustrates a disturbing trend among those being admitted to substance abuse treatment services: a growing percentage of older women are being treated for harder drugs. Data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration revealed that the total number of admissions to treatment services from 1996 to 2005 (the last year for which detailed data are available) stayed about the same among people under 40, but jumped 52 percent among those 40 and older. Of the 40 and older group, the rise in admissions among men was 44 percent. Among women, it was 82 percent. (Source: Addiction and Recovery News)

Currently, diagnostic guides split alcohol-use disorders into two categories: 1. Alcohol Abuse and 2. Alcohol Dependence. Many researchers believe that this isn't complete, and that there should be a third diagnosis known as "hazardous drinking," that would come before abuse and dependence. Hazardous Drinking is defined as drinking more than guidelines recommend. A study based in Finland has found that hazardous drinking is quite common.

An early age at onset of drinking is a strong predictor of subsequent alcohol dependence. New findings indicate that an early AOD among women born after 1944 may account for their increased rates of lifetime AD. An earlier AOD may be connected to decreased minimum legal drinking age laws.

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