UB in the News

Richard D. Blondell, director of addictions research, is quoted in an article distributed by HealthDay news service about a study that casts doubt on the argument that marijuana is a "gateway drug" that plays a major role in leading people to try other illegal drugs. "The study doesn't really answer the question," he says. "There is no single answer to why someone develops addiction." The article also reports that in a recent study, Blondell and colleagues at UB reported that new research suggests that many people first get addicted to drugs while using prescription painkillers. The article appeared in BusinessWeek.

An article distributed by HealthDay reports on research that found it isn't personal success of failure that make up the best and worst moments of a person's life, but the events that occur within relationships, and quotes Shira Gabriel, associate professor of psychology, who conducted the research. The article appeared in BusinessWeek and U.S. & World Report.

An article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle about a decision by a federal judge that allows Native American nations to continue to sell cigarettes without the state collecting sales tax quotes Donald A. Grinde, professor and chair of American studies and an expert on Native American history, who said the state has no right to collect taxes on reservations.

An article on CNBC about a new poll that suggests Democrats will face significant losses in the midterm elections reports that a UB paper has predicted a 51-seat gain for Republicans in November. An article that appeared in the Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee and other newspapers also reports on the research, which was conducted by James Campbell, professor and chair of political science.

Research by James E. Campbell, professor and chair of political science, is featured in an article in The Washington Post about a Gallup poll that said if the midterm elections were held now, Republicans would take control of the House, and probably with a comfortable margin. Campbell's research received considerable media attention, with articles appearing in the Winston-Salem Journal, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Financial Times, WABC-AM in New York City and England's Guardian newspaper. The research also is the subject of articles on the Conservative blogs, Left Coast Rebel and VOX, as well as on AOL's Propeller and England's popular political blog, PoliticalBetting.com,

An article in Newsweek looks at the theories about why so many Americans say they think President Barack Obama is Muslim and quotes Steven Hoffman, visiting assistant professor of sociology. "People completely ignore contrary information," he said, and "develop rather elaborate rationalizations based on faulty information."

An article in England's Daily Express looks at drugs and therapies derived from lethal toxins, and reports that UB scientists have found that a protein in tarantula venom shows promise as a pain-relief therapy for muscular dystrophy.

A back-to-school article in the Calgary Herald reports compelling new evidence suggests that the path to fulfillment isn't paved with straight A's, and that our most meaningful moments are that that involve social relationships. The article quotes Shira Gabriel, associate professor of psychology. The article appeared in a number of Canadian newspapers, including the Vancouver Sun, Canada.com and Montreal Gazette.

An article in the Daily Record about the growing number of Canadian students applying the U.S. law schools reports about 13 of the 750 students enrolled in the UB Law School are from Canada, and interviews Stephanie Le Coche, a Toronto native attending UB.

An article distributed by HealthDay news service reports a UB study has found that prescription drugs may be the way that many drug addicts first get hooked, making these legal medicines the new "gateway" drugs. The article appeared in BusinessWeek and U.S. News & World Report.