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Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Oct-2026 06:16 ET (21-Oct-2026 10:16 GMT/UTC)

Study shows sharp increase in rate of unintentional ingestions of recreational drugs among young children since 2000

Nationwide Children's Hospital
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study reveals that unintentional ingestions of recreational drugs by young children have increased dramatically in the last 25 years. Researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Central Ohio Poison Center analyzed calls to U.S. poison centers and found that the recreational drug ingestion rate per 100,000 U.S. children younger than 6 years old increased 3,307% from 2000 to 2024, with a rapid increase beginning in 2013.

Journal: BMC Public Health

Indonesia’s forest-zone oil palm dilemma needs more than stricter laws, Hasanuddin study finds

Hasanuddin University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Indonesia’s policies on oil palm cultivation within state forest zones have shifted from gradual rehabilitation to stricter enforcement. However, a Hasanuddin University study finds that neither approach addresses the underlying drivers of forest conversion effectively. Drawing on field observations, stakeholder engagement, and policy analysis, the researchers identify gaps between forest restoration and smallholder livelihoods. The study calls for integrated governance that strengthens land rights and balances ecological protection with economic and social needs.

Journal: Forest Policy and Economics
Funder: Hasanuddin University

Eminent cardiologist involved in treatment guidelines received £50m from drug research contracts

BMJ Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A British cardiologist and former president of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has been judged by the ESC to have committed severe misconduct after a Danish TV documentary reported that he had been involved in drawing up guidelines for the use of the heart drug ivabradine (Corlanor, Procoralan) while profiting from lucrative contracts with the drug’s maker.

Journal: The BMJ
Funder: BMJ Investigations Unit

Extreme heat linked to 33 diagnoses that go beyond dehydration, heat stroke

Northwestern University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

When temperatures spike, emergency physicians expect to see more cases of dehydration and heat stroke. But a new Northwestern University study suggests that extreme heat also is linked to a much wider range of health problems seen in emergency departments and urgent care clinics, including skin conditions, multiple sclerosis and even injuries from traffic accidents.

The findings could help emergency departments and health care systems better prepare for heat waves, which are becoming more prevalent with climate change.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship

JMIR Publications invites submissions on Misinformation in Scientific Publishing in its newest journal JMIR Metascience and Research Integrity

JMIR Publications
Business Announcement

JMIR Publications invites submissions to a new section titled "Misinformation in Scientific Publishing" in its open access journal JMIR Metascience and Research Integrity.

Chronic illness climbs closer to a former nuclear site in California

Society for Risk Analysis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Superfund sites typically cluster in low-income communities, where 62% of households earn less than $50,000 annually. But near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in the hills northwest of Los Angeles people are much wealthier. This anomaly gave University of Southern California researchers an opportunity to study how wealthy residents respond when money cannot buy their protection from an environmental hazard.

Journal: Risk Analysis

Anti-immigrant ‘public charge’ policy may have contributed to rise in HIV among Hispanic ropulations

Boston University School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Following the Trump administration's announcement of changes to the public charge rule in 2018, a new study showed a 16.8-percent increase in HIV incidence among Hispanic populations living in antisanctuary counties, compared to baseline counties. The researchers also examined HIV incidence by race, and found no comparable increase among Black populations, which further indicates that post-2018 immigration policies and rhetoric uniquely affected Hispanic communities.

Journal: Milbank Quarterly

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