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Would you like to send your employees for a random drug testing just because you suspect they are using some kind of prohibited substance? Yes, it does sound like a reasonable idea, but unlike the name suggests, it isn’t just a random drug test. In fact, it isn’t in the...
Currently, many employers require job applicants and employees to undergo pre-employment drug testing as a condition for their employment. Depending on the drug test results, the applicants may or may not be hired. Additionally, many employers also conduct on-the-job screenings to...
Cannabis still remains a federally illegal substance. However, with more and more states legalizing their cultivation, possession, and use, many politicians and businesses are reassessing workplace drug testing. Presently, 10 states and Washington D.C. have legalized recreational...
Has your prospective employer or current employer in Ohio asked you to take a drug test? If yes, you might want to know about your legal rights. Though flexible, federal law places certain regulations and limits on employer drug testing. Federal law makes drug testing mandatory by...
There is no denying the fact that using drugs at work can seriously impact your job performance. What’s more, it can even pose a serious risk to the lives of others. According to The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, drug abuse is found to cost employers around...
Pre-employment drug testing is the most effective way to catch any form of alcohol and substance abuse in potential employees. It identifies any current use of alcohol, hard drugs or misuse of prescription meds. Though drug testing does not check for impairment or whether their ability...
Some employees are taking more than just their lunch to work nowadays. In fact, according to a study taken by Facing Addiction with NCADD, 70% of all Americans that use illicit drugs are employed. Drug and substance abuse affects everyone. In the workplace, not only does it damage the...
Early July, Michigan updated its list of medical conditions that qualify for a medical marijuana card by adding 11 new conditions to the list, bringing the grand total up to 22. Some of the latest additions include autism, Tourette’s Syndrome, and Parkinson’s disease. What this...
So, this is interesting. Northern Kentucky schools are advocating for students to voluntarily join "drug testing clubs," which ask students to step outside of the box in their pledge to be drug-free. The schools now want students to put their money where their mouths are and prove they...
When a matter is before the court, depending on how backed up the court may be, it can take months or even years for a case to finally be heard. In the meantime, non-violent offenders often wait out the time in prison, often because they are from low-income backgrounds and cannot afford...
Valsartan, a drug commonly used to treat blood pressure and heart health issues, was recalled worldwide by the FDA last month due to the discovered presence of NDMA, an ingredient that has the potential to cause cancer. Interestingly, Valsartan's brand name, Diovan, is safe from this...
Many young adults joke after a night out with their friends that they probably just seriously damaged their livers. Unfortunately, this is becoming ever truer, as people as young as their mid-30s are being diagnosed with liver disease at an alarming rate. And it's not just young people...
As the legalization of marijuana in this country continues to grow by the day, one of the chief concerns is that we don't have a great picture of marijuana's effects, if any, on driving. Because marijuana stays in the system for weeks after a person has used a cannabis product, it's...
Just when you thought we already had enough to deal with insofar as the opioid epidemic and the decision as to whether or not to legalize medicinal and recreational marijuana, meth comes back and rears its ugly head. And, unfortunately, it's coming back stronger than ever. News outlets...
The number of working Americans who are failing drug tests in this country continues to rise, and according to Quest Diagnostics, South Carolina is currently experiencing one of the highest rates in the country. More than one out of every 18 workers who took drug tests in the state last...
Every day, thousands of mailpersons wake up, head to work, trade their car in for a mail van, pick up that day's shipments, and head off to deliver the mail. There would be no reason to think anything would be amiss, yet shipping services like the U.S. Postal Service, Federal Express...
It's getting to the point where officials at a prison in Marysville, Ohio are building a nursery on the premises because mothers – females, in particular – are surpassing men in terms of being incarcerated in this country. Specifically, women are being imprisoned for opioid...
There were rumors that he was going to do it on the date in question, and then he did. Last month, on the unofficially recognized marijuana holiday of April 20, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced his plan to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. What this...
In Colorado, there are now more marijuana dispensary shops than there are Starbucks stores, saying Denver lawyer and former prosecutor Chris Halsor. However, despite the fact that the consumption of products containing cannabis is now legal in the state, driving under its influence...
Despite the fact that we have known since 1973 certain things about how cannabis can affect a woman's reproductive health, there is still little to know at this point in a field that has been widely understudied. What we do know, however, is that cannabinoid levels soar during...
If you've never heard of kratom, it is a supplement that has been marketed for the purposes of treating everything from chronic pain and mood swings to withdrawals from opioids. However, kratom has been at the center of a spate of recent controversies, one of which being that the...
NPR recently did a story on how some people who have been prescribed opioids find their benefits to outweigh their risks. How can people who have more difficulty functioning without opioids than with them minimize their risks to addiction and side effects? All it takes is a bad fall...
Around now marks one year since Maine became one of the first states to put limits on their opioid prescriptions, namely the dosages that were given to patients. So, how successful were they? Pretty successful, as it turns out. Maine's law is considered the toughest law in the U.S. on...
While the opioid crisis is bad everywhere you look in the U.S., but few places are struggling as badly as New Hampshire, a state that reportedly holds the highest rate of overdose from synthetic opioids in the country. In fact, overdoses are so frequent in New Hampshire that the...
Earlier this week, President Trump announced a notably harsher penalty for drug dealers in an effort to combat the opioid crisis: give 'em the death penalty. The plan is expected to be unveiled on Monday, March 26, 2018 in the state of New Hampshire. While everyone has been hit hard by...
When you think of the opioid epidemic in this country, the first thing you probably think of is a strung-out addict, looking for his or her next fix, possibly ending up as another statistic when he or she eventually overdoses. What you probably don't realize is how this epidemic has...
This week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that a task force has been created, the sole purpose of which to examine the ways in which opioid manufacturers and distributors are contributing to this country's opioid epidemic. In 2016 alone, nearly 65,000 Americans succumbed to...
U.S. Life Expectancy Drops for the Second Year in a Row, Thanks to the Opioid Crisis Here's some disheartening news to close out your year: America's life expectancy, the average time a U.S. citizen is expected to live, fell for the second year in row this year, with the catalyst being...
California is still in the process of trying to figure out the appropriate protocol for testing drivers' blood so as to determine what the legal limit should be in order to measure someone's impairment while driving after smoking or consuming a cannabis product. Alex Traverso, a...
As of this writing, there are over 2,500 members belonging to the Facebook group "Pot-Smoking Moms Who Cuss Sometimes." The group was formed in California, where recreational marijuana usage is legal, and many members of the group believe marijuana is an all-natural and harmless home...
District Court Judge Linda Davis of Macomb County, Michigan believes that until we are able to change our ways insofar as how we prescribe opiates in this country, then we're going to see the number of fatal overdoses involving heroin double annually. She also believes that our overall...
New research has shown that violent crime rates in states that border Mexico have significantly dropped in the wake of medical marijuana being legalized. According the study, which is entitled "Is Legal Pot Crippling Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations? The Effect of Medical...
The Pain Rehabilitation Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota offers an annual three-week program wherein patients who suffer from chronic pain enroll for the purpose of getting off of their pain medications once and for all. Many of those who enroll in this program have tried...
The Trump administration lifted a policy last week that was put into place by the Obama administration with regard to the legality of marijuana at the state level. Up until now, federal authorities were prevented from cracking down on marijuana sales in states were pot is legal...
Health insurance companies are often the ones stuck paying the bill for the prescription painkillers that too often lead to addiction. Therefore, it should not be surprising that they too are getting in on the fight to stop Americans from continuing to abuse opioids. Cigna is leading...
One might never expect that magic mushrooms could be used as a treatment option, but clinical trials doing just that have been conducted in cancer patients at both Johns Hopkins University and New York University (NYU). Particularly, researchers are studying the effect of the active...
There is no doubt that the opioid epidemic has been hitting all 50 states in recent years, and hitting them hard. Ohio has raised a point that is rather relevant and also incredibly sad: with the number of overdoses that have been occurring every day, how exactly do you budget for that...
It probably shouldn't come as a surprise that when you have an epidemic like the opioid epidemic we have right now in this country, there's going to be someone out there who sees a gigantic opportunity to profit off of the situation. That is essentially what mental health advocate Steve...
Navy veteran Robert Williams was surprised to learn that he had been tested for drugs, which he had only learned about after asking for his lab results in order to find out about his cholesterol level. Said Williams: "Just because they have a sample or tissue of mine does not mean they...
Last year, the opioid epidemic in this country killed more people than those who were killed in the Vietnam War. Now, representatives are expressing their fear that cuts to Medicaid, like those proposed in the GOP's repeal-and-replace bill, will only serve to fuel the opioid epidemic by...
The United Nations and the World Health Organization have recently voiced their desires for drugs to be decriminalized. Specifically, in a joint release that focused on ending healthcare discrimination, the organizations called for the "reviewing and repealing punitive laws that have...
D.C. passed a recreational marijuana law back in 2014 that legalized the possession, growing, and gifting of limited amounts of recreational marijuana. What remains illegal, however, is the sale of it. It was still an open question as to where people would be able to buy the...
Summit County, Ohio is experiencing what may arguably be the most horrifying effect of this country's desperate opioid problem: toddlers are succumbing to overdoses due to not knowing the difference between candy and heroin, or another drug that is just as dangerous. On Tuesday night, a...
Happy New Year, and what a great year it will be! To kick start 2018 we are offering you, our valued clients, an opportunity for a 10% discount on your February 2018 invoice! This offer is only valid for clients already signed with Soteria Screening Laboratories as of 01/01/2018. While...
Nevada is apparently trying to set the record for fastest turnaround of recreational marijuana after being given permission to proceed with its early start recreational marijuana program. Voters approved the state's Question 2 back in November, and Nevada's goal has been to get...
A pair of drug busts that took place in New York in August and September of this year netted a gain of enough drugs to kill 32 million people, authorities said after confiscating almost 195 pounds of fentanyl in a pair of bust that included a sting operation. Fentanyl is an opioid that...
Vermont has become the first state in the country to approve a bill for legalizing recreational marijuana. The bill works to legalize small amounts of marijuana possession and is expected to into effect in 2018. The bill also anticipates the possibility of a taxed and regulated legal...
A new medical marijuana dispensary is opening in Easthampton, MA by the end of this year. The Hampden Care Facility intends on holding a job fair, from which it will select 50-60 workers to run its medical marijuana dispensary at the Keystone Mill. Many of those hired will be in charge...
In Gates, New York, local police are so intent on getting opioids off of their streets that they will literally make house calls to come get your leftovers. Chief James VanBrederode expressed frustration on behalf of all law enforcement with the opioid epidemic and how it just doesn't...
Recently, researchers at the Boston Medical Center discovered that about one in every 12 doctors in the United States is regularly gifted money, lunch, or something else valuable from opioid drug manufacturers. Researchers also found that opioid manufacturers are putting more effort...
Sterling Technologies, a plastic molding company in Pennsylvania, is one of many companies who are now hiring refugees in the wake of the soaring drug use that is running rampant in this country. With less and less people being able to pass a drug test, companies are now hiring refugees...
Simply put, centers that specialize in helping drug users kick the habit and recover are expensive. Further, the waiting lists can be unfathomably long, so it takes a while for someone to receive the help they're looking for. This is why many addicts decide to detox on their own. This...
This week, in an effort to combat the current opioid epidemic that has claimed tens of thousands of lives over the better part of the past two decades, President Trump announced that he would be creating an opioid panel led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Christie brought the...
Those who smoke marijuana often report that they do so in order to relax or relieve their stress. However, few studies have actually proven these effects in the past. Researchers at Chicago's University of Illinois and the University of Chicago have recently discovered that low levels...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is jumping on the bandwagon of trying to ebb the flow of the opioid epidemic crisis we are currently in the middle of. The CDC called the epidemic "one of the most pressing public health issues" at the moment, and it released a...
In a recent analysis performed by STAT News, it is estimated that the 33,000 people who succumbed to fatal opioid overdoses in 2015 could climb to as many as 94,000 by 2027 – that's nearly three times the number of fatal overdoses in a period of only 12 years, and a sobering reminder...
Opioid painkiller Opana ER made NPR's news this week due to the fact that the dangers involved with taking the drug actually outweigh its benefits. Back in 2012, the ingredients in Opana ER were altered so as to make it harder to crush. The goal here was that abuse of the drug would...
In the Lacey Township School District located in New Jersey, drug testing has been the norm for years for students and bus drivers alike. But now, in an effort to strengthen its anti-drug agenda, the school's administration and board are considering making drug testing a requirement for...
A rule implemented in 2012 under President Obama held that states could only drug test applicants for unemployment if those applicants were looking for jobs that normally required regular drug tests. That rule is now changing however, as a new law is expected to be signed off by...
According to new research recently published in the American Journal of Public Health, the legalization of marijuana in Colorado has led to an unexpected "reversal" in the number of fatal overdoses the state is seeing that can be attributed to opiates. According to the authors of the...
U.S. officials were relieved to hear last week that China is finally going to be putting carfentanil on its controlled substances list as of March 1. This means that it will be considered just as dangerous as its weaker cousin, fentanyl. Carfentanil is estimated to be about 10,000 times...
America's Opioid Addiction Creates Gaps in Its Workforce Economists estimate that there are 1.5 million people of working age who are currently missing from the work force. This means that they are unemployed and/or they are not looking for a job. It is not entirely clear the affect...
Many who are unemployed in the U.S. may have to pass a drug test in order to keep their short-term unemployment insurance payouts, depending on the results of a vote that is expected to happen this week on House Joint Resolution 42, proposed legislation from congressional Republicans...
Some states are bringing veterinarians' offices into the fight against the current opioid epidemic. Why veterinarians? Well, because some people who are addicted to opioids actually use their pets to procure more drugs. Both Colorado and Maine have laws on the books that authorize or...
A new recovery center in Rockland, Maine, which is set to open later this month, plans to offer counseling instead of drugs to for those who are either struggling with drug addiction or who are coping with a friend or family's member's addiction to drugs. The Coastal Recovery Community...
In a true case of "pick your poison," patients who live in states where medicinal marijuana is legal are choosing cannabis over opioids in order to treat their pain, anxiety, and depression. While this may sound good at first because of our nation's current opioid crisis, this may be a...
Greenwood City Court in Indiana has made history by becoming the first court in the United States to offer a new and innovative drug treatment program for offenders who are addicted to heroin. The device is might right in Indiana, and it helps offenders deal with the effects related to...
One of the most upsetting casualties of the opioid epidemic in this country are those children who are affected by their parents' usage of the drugs. It may not be the first thing we think of, but the skyrocketing rates of addiction in this country have also led to the skyrocketing...
The opiates epidemic isn't going away anytime soon, unfortunately. Recent findings show that opiates are still killing a person a day. However, this development actually shows progress when compared to last year's numbers. Not to mention the fact that morgues are actually experiencing...
NPR recently reported that a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that doctors are prescribing less opioids, and when they are prescribing them, they are prescribing, on average, a lower dosage. This is promising news, especially in light of...
A staff report prepared earlier this week shows an estimated cost of nearly $6.5 million in annual permit fees that Sacramento will need to raise in order to regulate the local marijuana industry. Such costs will go, in part, toward paying the additional staff they will need to hire to...
A new study published in May by The New England Journal of Medicine illustrated the results of the first test that used marijuana to treat one particular form of severe epilepsy in children. The study found that there is a component of cannabis – one that does not provide users with a...
Prescription drug overdoses are sadly everywhere right now, and Alabama is no exception. Morgan County's coroner, Jeff Chunn, said that he rarely goes a week without seeing a death related to an overdose, that he typically sees at least one every week. Chunn said that Morgan County...
Over 100,000 troops left the military over the past decade with what is known as "bad paper," or a status of "dishonorable discharge." Having a dishonorable discharge on your record is bad news. You receive none of the benefits associated with being a veteran and, in some cases, you may...
In light of the opioid and heroin crisis that is currently sweeping the nation, bills are to be introduced to the Virginia General Assembly insofar as trying to get a handle on keeping the epidemic under control. And with marijuana increasingly becoming legal in the country, both for...
THCA, or tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, is the non-psychoactive acid form of THC that is found in the marijuana plant when the plant is still raw. In layman's terms, this means that the marijuana plant itself cannot get you high. In order to derive THC from the plant – the part that...
The numbers are in, and they aren't good. Between 2014 and 2015, the death rates from synthetic opiates in North Carolina rose over 72 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). First responders in the area have noticed a dramatic uptick in the...
It probably shouldn't come as a surprise that when you have an epidemic like the opioid epidemic we have right now in this country, there's going to be someone out there who sees a gigantic opportunity to profit off of the situation. That is essentially what mental health advocate Steve...
The scary truth as it stands right now, and in this age of an especially potent heroin and opioid epidemic, is the fact that over half of the doctors in Arizona are not signed up for the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program (CSPMP). The CSPMP allows doctors to look up...
Those who smoke marijuana often report that they do so in order to relax or relieve their stress. However, few studies have actually proven these effects in the past. Researchers at Chicago's University of Illinois and the University of Chicago have recently discovered that low levels...
Oswego, IL has officially decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. It is now a civil offense, rather than a crime, to be caught with 10 ounces or less of marijuana in the city. Police were instructed to issue ordinance tickets and fines in these instances and to...
East Baton Rouge, Louisiana is expecting to break a record this year, and not a good one: the county is on track to see more overdose deaths related to opioids and drugs in general this year than any other year in history. The county's coroner, Beau Clark, says the state is taking...
While fentanyl has been getting a lot of press lately, heroin is still just as deadly among drug users, with fatal overdoses averaging to be about one each day in Maine. The number of fatal overdoses in the area is soaring, from 57 deaths in 2014, to nearly double that number (108) the...
It has not been a good week for Georgia… As many as four people died in 48 hours in Georgia earlier this week, as the state was overwhelmed with opioid overdoses, particularly in middle Georgia, according to health officials. Over a dozen overdoses were reported in three emergency...
At least 220 people succumbed to a fatal overdose from fentanyl in 2016 on Long Island, according to records provided by medical examiners in both Nassau and Suffolk County – the two counties that make up the island. This number surpasses the previously reported numbers associated...
Right now, California is working on a bill in an attempt to combine the laws associated with medical marijuana and Proposition 64 into one single, stream-lined system. The bill covers over 100 pages of legislation, and it covers everything from rules for delivery companies to pesticide...
Right now, the U.S. is battling what has been called "the worst drug crisis in American history." While the present opioid and heroin epidemic has taken its toll on families across the country, veterans are some of those who are at risk of feeling the ultimate effects of the epidemic...
Ohio's Attorney General, Mike DeWine, filed a complaint consisting of over 100 pages in a civil lawsuit against five drug companies on Wednesday. In the complaint, the state claims that these companies have worked as "merchants of death" in fueling the opioid epidemic to its...
In light of the recently depressing news that the opiate and heroin epidemics in this country are simply skyrocketing, there is a light at the end of the tunnel: teen drug use is going down to record lows, and for many kinds of different drugs – both legal and illegal. Teens' use of...
Urine drug tests are used to look for any trace amounts of drugs that may be in a person's body. After the patient urinates into a sample cup, his or her urine is then tested for things like opioids, alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamines, and marijuana. While some companies opt for their...
The very idea of babies being born addicted to opiates and heroin is heartbreaking enough, but it is their screams that are perhaps the hardest thing for those in healthcare to handle. Dr. Sean Loudin, the medical director of Cabell Huntington Hospital in West Virginia told CNN that...
The hallucinogenic ketamine, which also goes by the street name "Special K", is now being marketed as an expensive off-label treatment for hard-to-treat mental disorders, including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and bipolar disorder. Private clinics across the country have begun...
Over 50 people have died in Broward County, South Florida in a mere six-month period after taking a new drug that has recently hit the streets in the area. Carfentanil has caused overdoses in about 40 cases that have passed through the doors of Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood...
Quest Diagnostics recently released some new numbers that show that workplace drug tests are continuing to find incredibly high numbers of those who are using drugs in the workplace. Levels as they are right now are higher than they have been in a decade. Last year, 4.2 percent of drug...
Many soldiers in the Nazi regime abused illicit drugs, including Adolf Hitler himself. At least, that's according to German writer Norman Ohler, who detailed these accounts in a book he published last year entitled Der Totale Rausch ("The Total Rush.") (His book was recently republished...
At a clinic named High Sobriety and located in Los Angeles, the approach to rehabilitation is a rather unexpected one: those who come in addicted to heroin are encouraged to toke up on marijuana as a form of treatment. This belief is actually nothing new when compared to the "miracle...
They actually did it. Perhaps just as controversial as our presidential candidates was the idea that California could legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. This result was predicted before-hand, and the influence from this decision could be unprecedented, considering the impact...
Crystal meth production in the United States has been declining since 2014 due to drug users turning to Mexican cartels' cheaper and purer imports. There have been significantly fewer meth lab busts and seizures in states like Missouri, which have typically been the most prolific...
Perhaps just as controversial as the actual candidates running for President this year is the proposal of the legalization of marijuana. In addition to voting for their choice for who will move into the White House after President Obama leaves office, five states will also be voting on...
Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, the man considered to be the world's most important marijuana researcher, has never even smoked a joint. He has, however, had an insatiable urge to research the drug for the majority of his professional career. He started looking into marijuana in Israel in the...
The Boston Archdiocese believes that increased drug use in its area has posed a threat to the Catholic Church's social service and health programs. As a result, the church has invested $850,000 in the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts, which is a campaign that was set up to...
Right now, the opioid crisis is the highest it has ever been in the history of the war on drugs. People are succumbing to fatal overdoses at alarming rates, and lawmakers and law enforcement are scrambling for ways to crack down on the problem before it gets even more out of hand than...
Statistics were recently compiled that show that drug-related car crashes in the state of Utah that can be categorized as DUI cases (Driving Under the Influence) and that happened in 2015 actually doubled the rates previously reported the year before. The problem is that people are...
The go-to test for drugs is the urine test. That's because it is incredibly easy to administer. Rather than getting someone who may be squeamish about needles to sit still for a blood tests, all they have to do is pee in a cup and hand it over. Unfortunately, it is also pretty easy for...
Back in 2014, a new trend began to develop which was referred to as “academic doping.” This phrase was used to describe students abusing Adderall as a study aid, as opposed to the caffeine pills or energy drinks used in decades past. Adderall is a medication that is typically...
Some people are pro-marijuana and others advocate against the legalization of it, but one thing everyone can agree on is that marijuana causes people to experience physiological changes while under the influence. Immediate effects include a rapid heartbeat and a lack of coordination...
In a recent article by Kaiser Health News, it was noted that public health officials have noticed that there are two drugs proven to be successful in the treatment of problems relating to alcohol, however doctors are neglecting to incorporate them into their treatment plans. Some...
Alcohol is perhaps the only drug that isn't just legal but widely encouraged. We use it at parties, after work during happy hours, and even at home after a long day as a way to unwind. It is glamourized in the movies, and it is widely socially accepted – which is why it finds itself...
Synthetic cannabinoids, or synthetic marijuana, was first spotted in the United States back in 2008, and it has been nothing but trouble since. However, the problems have recently gotten significantly worse, with synthetic cannabinoid overdose rates more than doubling between the years...
Last week, the CDC reported that 25 percent of the total number of overdoses that befell this country back in 2015 were related to heroin. Further, researchers have discovered that the number of fatal overdoses in general has doubled since 1999. The total number of fatal overdoses was...
No industry is safe from rampant drug abuse, as is evident by the recent spike in illegal drug abuse among those who work for the railroad. Case in point: earlier this year, just after a railroad worker checked in to be given his daily assignments, he was found dead in the bathroom as a...
As the heroin epidemic continues to grow, it becomes heartbreakingly clear just how much of an effect it can have on the next generation. Children all over the country are calling 9-1-1 to inform the dispatcher that they have either just witnessed the death of their parent, or that they...
You often hear about how stopping smoking allows you to essentially erase the effects that smoking has had on your body, and that the longer it has been since you quit, the healthier your body becomes. However, recent findings show that smoking actually permanently damages your DNA, and...
In what is an unsurprisingly but still unsettling news story, CNN wrote about a recent study by Australian researchers which found that children who are born addicted to drugs like heroin and other opiates are more likely to do poorly when they reach school age. Children who are born...
A study released by the Department of Public Health earlier this month shows that recent deaths in the Massachusetts area can be attributed to illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl, rather than opioid prescriptions. This study works to fuel the theory that because doctors are...
Hair follicle drug and alcohol testing is becoming more popular because of its longer look back period. Hair follicle testing can detect substance abuse going back for approximately 90 days. When a substance is used, it is absorbed and metabolized into the bloodstream. Because hair...
For the longest time, drug use in the workplace has been on a decline, but that is unfortunately changing, as the number of those who have tested positive for drugs has, over the last three years, increased to their highest point in a decade. Quest Diagnostics revealed that an analysis...
Anyone who has ever been prescribed a prescription drug, especially if they did not have insurance when they were prescribed that drug, can tell you that brand-name prescription drugs usually cost an arm and a leg. Why is this? And why are generic drugs so much less expensive? Consumer...
Drug users are visiting libraries in droves lately, and while that sounds really promising, it’s actually far from it. Unfortunately, the same qualities that make a library appealing for studying purposes - quiet, tucked away spaces where people will generally leave you alone - are...
Employees who need a midday pick-me-up are ditching their Red Bulls and Monster energy drinks in favor of taking small amounts of drugs to get them through the day. The practice is called "microdosing," and it involves taking a tiny, diluted amount of LSD with the belief that it will...
Designer drugs can be nasty drugs that make people do nasty things. In addition to the growing popularity of fentanyl and the not-so-popular bath salts, flakka (which has been around since 2014) is now slowly showing up as the culprit in more incidents, and it provides users with the...
Being able to buy prescription drugs online can be a lifesaver if you are disabled, elderly, or otherwise can't get out of the house as often. It can also be helpful to those of us who are just too busy to factor in yet another stop on our ride home from work. However, consumers must be...
The accidental death of legendary musician Prince back in April, which resulted from his consumption of an overdose of fentanyl, has ushered in a sweeping awareness of the drug and just how much of a problem it has become in the U.S. To try to stop just how much fentanyl is getting into...
As more and more people succumb to the opiate overdose epidemic that has skyrocketed in recent years in this country, the desire to keep the details mum on these kinds of deaths is rapidly diminishing. People are recognizing how important it is to fight back against the stigma that...
This is one of those stories where it’s surprising that we haven’t heard something like this sooner: a man is posing as an Uber driver in Gainesville, Florida in order to lure women into his car. The UFPD is warning women who choose to ride with an Uber driver of the signs to watch...
This is one of those side effects that you don't quite realize until it becomes reality. The recent opiate epidemic is actually threatening three decades of progress that has been made insofar as reducing the number of HIV and AIDS cases in the United States. How is this possible? Well...
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and King County Executive Dow Constantine formed the Heroin Task Force in Seattle, and the organization has recently endorsed the opening of safe-consumption sites for those in the local area who are addicted to drugs like heroin and crack-cocaine. These...
With the holiday season upon us, it is common for people to overindulge a little during their Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts. They may go overboard on the wine in particular, in addition to the food, but it is important to remember that if you are taking prescription medication, you...
It’s no secret that heroin has been the drug of choice for quite a while now. Heroin use among individuals aged 18 to 25 has doubled in the past ten years, and overdoses and deaths from the drug are skyrocketing. But why is the rate of death so high? What is it about heroin that makes...
In a recent study, the results of which should surprise absolutely no one, chronic lower back pain sufferers are more likely to turn to illicit drugs like cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamines for relief. Investigators admit that the relationship between the two is a...
At this year’s Olympic games, competitors with prior doping offenses are being directly confronted on the issue, rather than being met with the relatively awkward silence that would dog them in prior years, and nowhere is this more prevalent than in the swimming competition, with such...
New research has come to light that shows that women are actually more likely to die from taking ecstasy than men are. This is because of the biological differences between men and women, namely female hormones. One of the most common – and most dangerous – side effects of taking...
This month Connecticut joined the states that have passed a Ban-the-Box law per Public Law No. 16-83. It goes into effect on January 1, 2017. This law prohibits covered employers from inquiring about a prospective employee's prior arrests, criminal charges or convictions on an initial...
Right now, there is an upsetting trend among high school students showing an increase in their usage of methamphetamines (meth) as the current drug of choice. It is therefore more important than ever that parents know what meth is, as well as how to recognize potential signs of the...
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin has signed H.261 establishing Ban the Box in that state. The law goes into effect on July 1, 2017. This version of the Ban-the-Box law is slightly different from most states. In Vermont, the law prohibits asking job applicants to check the box asking about...
Opiates can be a dangerous business, and the over-prescription of same is often blamed for the epidemic we're currently seeing in the uptick of heroin and fentanyl overdoses in this country. Patients are prescribed opiates when they may have been able to receive a treatment that was...
Perhaps one of the most important demographics to talk to about heroin and drugs in general is the teenage demographic. This is because teenagers are always under immense peer pressure and may feel a continuous struggle to belong. In light of the heroin epidemic that continues to grow...
In order to have a successful drug-free program in the workplace, a company must have a well-written and comprehensive drug policy in place. The policy cannot be something that is just thought up overnight and then put into place. Typically, an effective policy is discussed many times...
While alcohol is technically a drug, there is a distinction in the law between drunk driving and drugged driving, though both are typically classified as "driving under the influence." However, the effects of both are typically the same. Whether a driver is under the influence of...
Right now, there are 20 million Americans who are struggling with issues related to substance abuse. Of course, it stands to reason that with that many people having a substance abuse problem, some of them could be working right alongside us in the workplace. As a matter of fact, 60...
Some employers may not realize that they can use their company's Employee Assistance Program to help an employee who may be struggling with issues related to drug abuse. EAP can guide managers on how best to deal with an employee's drug problem, including requiring or suggesting that...
Unfortunately, substance abuse in the workplace is becoming a more common issue with each passing day. Alcohol is one of the biggest offenders, causing 500 million sick days each year with employees calling out who are simply too sick to work. Employees who use illicit drugs are more...
It may sound counterintuitive to try and maintain a drug-free workplace when marijuana is legal in your area, but it can be done. There are some things that you have to decide insofar as to how you want to handle them and the repercussions that can come from the ways in which you handle...
One of the best ways to determine whether or not a drug-screening program is successful is to conduct an annual audit. Audits will show which areas of the program are weakest, and which areas are strongest, so that the weakest areas can be corrected for the following year; else the...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) put a new rule into effect back in August of this year regarding drug-testing that is conducted after a workplace-related injury or accident occurs. Essentially, if employers have policies in place where they automatically require...
One of the most important things you can educate your children about is the effect of illicit drugs, but you may find it hard to begin. Where do you start, and what do you start with? Here are six ways to help you bridge the gap so that you can have that very important conversation...
Finding out about who your ancestors were and how they play a part in who you turned out to be is as simple as spitting your DNA into a tube and mailing it off to a lab to be tested. Voluntary DNA testing may not exactly be a watercooler topic just yet, but enough people have heard of...
Ohio is soon to be the latest state to be added to the list of states that permit medical marijuana to be legalized. However, as is to be expected, businesses have come together to lobby for an exception to these medical marijuana rules as they pertain to businesses that promote a...
You may wonder how someone can just shoot up or snort an illicit substance while at work. How do they not get caught? Doesn’t anyone see them do it? As it turns out, it’s surprisingly easy to smuggle drugs into work when you’re bringing them in in the forms of lip balm, gummy...
Quest Diagnostics is one of the biggest names in the business - perhaps even the biggest - when it comes to drug testing, and last month they got even bigger. Last month, an announcement was made that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was going to allow Quest to start...
Foreign individuals seek immigrant visas when they want to make the United States their permanent residence. In order to be eligible to apply for an immigrant visa, the applicant must be sponsored by a relative who is a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. (i.e. a green...
In October of 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shut down Silk Road, the first major illegal online drug marketplace on what is referred to as the “dark web.” The dark web is an entirely different internet that lives on “darknets,” which are overlay networks that...
Heroin and opioids are still among the most popular illicit drugs being taken on the street today, however heroin is still top of the charts when it comes to being the most fatal, particularly due to the recent boom in cocaine and fentanyl abuse. This is because heroin is being...
A study conducted by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, California shows that the hypocretin molecule in the brain may actually make some people more likely to become addicted to cocaine than others, according to a report published by Science Daily. The hope now...
When someone is addicted to drugs, the addiction doesn’t wait. They need the fix no matter what time of day it is, or where they are when the craving strikes. This unfortunately also applies to the workplace, and with more than 70 percent of the country’s nearly 15 million Americans...
Researchers are currently working with party drug ketamine to determine whether or not it can actually be used in lower doses to treat alcoholism and its effects. The idea is that ketamine causes changes in the brain, so it may actually increase the chances that psychological treatment...
Perhaps no one is more acquainted with chronic pain than a former NFL player. Being tackled by several men who are just as large as you (or larger) on the regular can do a number on your bones and joints, not to mention organs like your brain. So it should come as no surprise that many...
US News posted an interesting article earlier this month in which they reported that those who take cocaine or methamphetamines regularly may be unable to properly distinguish right from wrong. This is because the parts of the brain responsible for understanding morals and emotions...
The idea that your doctor might be under the influence of drugs when he or she is treating you is a scary thought, but one that may very well be true, as it is estimated that as many as 100,000 medical providers - including doctors, nurses, and medical technicians - are either dependent...
Last week, the Fraser Health Authority in Canada issued a warning that fentanyl was popping up in crack cocaine - a trend that was recognized after 43 crack cocaine users overdosed within a period of only 48 hours in Surrey. This is the first time that the fentanyl and crack cocaine...
It has been a concern among parents that stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall, which are often prescribed to treat their children’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), might increase their children's risk of substance abuse later on, but it turns out that the opposite is...
On June 1 of this year, British Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons decided to try something new as an alternative to doctors prescribing their patients opioids for pain: now doctors are required to try non-drug treatments on their patients first and only resort to...
People have been under the impression that the recreational drug “Molly” (a.k.a. MDMA - a pure version of ecstasy) is mostly harmless, producing a high that allows users to enjoy feelings of euphoria, heightened senses, and uninhibited displays of emotion without the severity of an...
You know you have a marijuana problem in your neighborhood when the local businesses are posting signs asking that people stop smoking it in their areas so that the ever-present clouds of smoke will finally dissipate. That’s exactly what’s happening in Brooklyn, though the cause of...
The struggle is real - the struggle in trying to find employees who are able to pass a pre-employment drug test, that is. That’s what companies across the country are collectively saying is a huge problem they are facing when attempting to recruit new talent. The problem is two-fold...
You may have heard a lot about fentanyl in the news lately, what with the role that it played in the death of legendary musician Prince, and it is becoming more popular in part due to its potency, which is estimated to be between 50 and 100 times stronger than that of morphine. Now...
Employee drug testing is essential for organizations to ensure a drug-free workplace environment. A workplace environment that is free from drugs promotes professionalism, integrity, productivity, discipline, and a positive work culture amongst others. Crimes related to drug abuse can...
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