WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration plans Wednesday to nominate Seattle, Washington, police chief Gil Kerlikowske as the nation's drug czar.

Vice President Joe Biden was expected to name Kerlikowske as chief of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a job that requires Senate confirmation, at a midday ceremony, an administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made.

People who have experienced trauma often find it difficult to describe their feelings and experiences in words. Art therapy enables the client to expose these feelings first through non-verbal symbols, and then narrate them. The Graduate School of Creative Arts Therapies at the University of Haifa is the first Israeli academic track that grants an MA degree in creative arts therapies to its graduates. There are three courses of study in the school: Plastic Art Therapy, Movement Therapy, and Drama Therapy. "The importance of therapy through the arts has increased over the past years, and as with every other discipline of therapy, much weight ought to be placed on basing therapist training on research," said Prof. Lev-Wiesel.

In a new landmark paper to be published in the April 2009 issue of Nature Genetics Reviews, addiction experts at the University of Virginia Health System and the University of Michigan present new insights into the significant progress made within the last several years in understanding the genetics of addiction.

A number of epidemiological studies have shown that alcohol abuse or dependence is associated with major depression, according to background information in the article. However, it has previously been unclear whether one disorder causes the other, or whether a common underlying genetic or environmental risk factor increases risk for both.

In 1996, U.S. welfare reform legislation created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, according to background information in the article. Unlike previous programs, TANF imposed a five-year limit on financial support for families with children younger than age 18. The new regulations also involved stricter requirements for employment and work-related activities. “These changes were intended to enhance self-sufficiency and reduce long-term reliance on public income support,” the authors write.

Across the country, prescription drugs are for sale in all kinds of ways you wouldn’t expect -- from pushers on the street, the Internet, rogue doctors and pharmacies. This growing trend has become a priority for the Government’s Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). MSNBC investigates how and why prescription drug abuse has become a new American epidemic that is reaching an alarmingly young generation.

Al Roker will examine America’s drug problems head on in three revealing documentaries as he delves into America’s struggle with prescription pills, heroin and marijuana. Al Roker Reporting: Generation Rx premiers on March 1st.

An ingredient in licorice shows promise as an antidote for the toxic effects of cocaine abuse, including deadly overdoses of the highly addictive drug, researchers in Korea and Pennsylvania are reporting. Their study is in the Jan. 2 issue of ACS’ Journal of Proteome Research.

In the new study, Meeyul Hwang, Chae Ha Yang, and colleagues note that there is currently no effective medicine for treating cocaine abuse or addiction. Recent animal studies conducted by the researchers show that a licorice ingredient called isoliquiritigenin (ISL) can block the nervous system’s production of dopamine. That neurotransmitter is involved in emotion, movement, and other brain activities.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) introduced the bill on Friday. It is co-sponsored by Senators Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Charles Schumer, (D-N.Y.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

Researchers behind a controversial approach to Vancouver's drug problem are trying to launch a new study.

Hundreds of people took part in the NAOMI project, which stands for North American Opiate Medication Initiative. The project provided drug addicts with heroin, methadone and a pain medication called Dilaudid.

Rob Vincent took part in NAOMI. He says his health improved and he was able to work.