PBS NewsHour (12/23) correspondent William Brangham sat down with National Institute on Drug Abuse toxicologist Dr. Marilyn Huestis, among others, to discuss the “rise of the drug synthetic marijuana, commonly known as Spice or K2.” In the interview, Dr. Huestis predicted that synthetic marijuana will be “the emerging face of drug abuse for the future,” adding that some of the new drugs that come out are “very potent, up to 100 times as potent as cannabis.” She is studying the chemical composition of synthetic drugs in her lab and notes the challenges of identifying the “ever-changing cocktail of chemicals.”

Related Links:

— “What’s in that synthetic drug? An unknown grab-bag of toxic chemicals,” William Brangham, PBS NewsHour, December 22, 2015.

The Washington Post (12/23, Ingraham) “Wonkblog” reports that US alcohol deaths have reached a “35-year high.” In 2014, some “30,700 Americans died from alcohol-induced causes, including alcohol poisoning and cirrhosis.” Excluded from this figure are “deaths from drunk driving, other accidents, and homicides committed under the influence of alcohol.” Were those deaths to be “included, the annual toll of deaths directly or indirectly caused by alcohol would be closer to 90,000, according to” a CDC report published Dec. 18 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

TIME (12/23, Chan) points out, “Excessive alcohol use is a leading cause of preventable death, according to the” CDC, accounting “for about 88,000 deaths each from 2006 to 2010, health officials said.”

Related Links:

— “Americans are drinking themselves to death at record rates,” Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post, December 22, 2015.

On the front of its Personal Journal section, the Wall Street Journal (12/22, D1, Beck, Subscription Publication) reports in “Health Journal” that drinking heavily on a chronic and long-term basis may cause brain damage and cognitive decline. To avoid those effects, the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recommends no more than 14 drinks weekly or four on one day for men and no more than seven drinks weekly or three on one day for women.

Related Links:

— “The Effects of Chronic Heavy Drinking on Brain Function Are Underdiagnosed,” Melinda Beck, WallStreet Journal, December 21, 2015.

In an opinion piece in the Washington Post (12/22), Marney A. White, PhD, MS, an associate professor of psychiatry and chronic disease epidemiology at Yale University, writes that not only is suicide “the leading cause of death among college students,” but also that “nearly one in five college-aged adults currently have or will develop a mental health problem within the next year.” White calls for adoption of “a public health approach focused on early identification and treatment” of students who could be at risk for the development of a “serious mental disorder.”

Related Links:

— “To prevent suicide in college, make mental health screening mandatory,” Marney A. White, Washington Post, December 21, 2015.

The Huffington Post (12/22, Jeltsen) reports that a study published in 2012 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders revealed that “13 percent of women aged 50 and older exhibited symptoms of eating disorders.” Due to “lingering stereotypes about who gets sick,” older women with eating disorders “can face lower rates of diagnosis, unique medical complications and limited treatment options, as well as the stigma that comes with having a disease” often seen in adolescents.

Related Links:

— “Inside The Hidden World Of Adult Eating Disorders,” Melissa Jeltsen, Huffington Post, December 21, 2015.