Drug Testing News

LONDON, April 14 /PRNewswire/ –
- Tough New Alcohol and Drug Checks for all British Road Maintenance Workers are to be Introduced
It is hoped that strict testing for alcohol or illegal drugs will reduce the number of accidents involving highways maintenance workers while improving employee safety and reducing risks to road users.
The Highways Term Maintenance Association (HTMA), which represents the industry’s biggest players including Balfour Beatty, Carillion and Ringway, has produced an Alcohol and Drugs Best Practice policy statement to introduce a common approach to substance misuse amongst its members.
The tough new policy includes the need for random testing for all relevant people, ‘for cause’ testing, test failure criteria and sanctions applying after disciplinary action.
Test failure criteria includes the presence of illegal drugs, an inappropriate level of alcohol in an individual’s test specimen, the misuse of legal substances such as glue or solvents, and an unreported prescribed or over the counter medication that may affect work performance.
The HTMA is also supporting the use of pre-employment procedures for those wishing to join the industry, such as medical questionnaires including the use of alcohol and drugs.
Keith Jackson, chairman of the HTMA, said he was confident the new policy was robust and highways maintenance industry employees would follow them. “It recognises that alcohol and drugs can have a detrimental effect on work performance and employee behaviour, and their use must not be condoned within the industry,” he said.
“Alcohol and drug misuse within the highways industry can not be tolerated; we have a duty to protect the safety and well-being of our members’ employees. The HTMA is promoting a consistent and systematic approach to alcohol and drug testing and this best practice guidance requires member companies to put formal policy and procedures into place.
“Highways maintenance is one of the most dangerous occupations in Britain and workers on motorways and major ‘A’ roads are a vulnerable group, so it is vital we do everything we can to improve worker safety. By implementing formal alcohol and drug policies, we can work together to drive forward improvements in the industry.
HTMA enquiries please visit http://www.htma.co.uk
Issued by the HTMA Press Office: Media enquiries please e-mail pshirley@theprfirm.co.uk or telephone +44(0)1782-751939 / +44(0)7769-901932

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention has published a report on “Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Among First-year College Students“.

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The NSDUH has published a report on Inhalant Use across the Adolescent Years that is based on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS).

The conclusions are that:

Inhalants were the most frequently reported class of illicit drugs used in the past year among adolescents aged 12 or 13 (3.4 and 4.8 percent, respectively)

Combined data for 2002 to 2006 indicated that an annual average of 593,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 had used inhalants for the first time in the year before their survey interview

Among past year inhalant initiates aged 12 to 15, the three most commonly used types of inhalants were glue, shoe polish, or toluene; spray paints; and gasoline or lighter fluid; in comparison, nitrous oxide or whippets were the most common type of inhalant used among past year inhalant initiates aged 16 or 17

The report demonstrates that school drug testing programs need to include education about the dangers of inhalant abuse.

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Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), the International Swimming Federation for swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo, and open water swimming, yesterday became the first major international sports federation to approve the incorporation into its own rules the enhanced version of the World Anti-Doping Agency drug testing policy. The improved drug testing policy was approved by a unanimous vote of the delegates present at the FINA Extraordinary Congress. The new rules will come into effect on January 1, 2009.

FINA conducts about 2,000 drug tests annually.

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The Fayetteville Observer has published an article about how Cumberland County Schools are using drug testing as a deterrent.

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The Age has published an article on the case for school drug testing.

The article also provides some useful facts:

After implementing a student drug-testing program, Hunterdon Central Regional High School in New Jersey saw a reduction in cocaine use by seniors from 13% to 4% after two years. Schools in Autauga County in Alabama experienced decreases in marijuana use from 19% to 12%. In Indiana, 85% of schools saw an increase in drug use when testing was suspended; drug use fell when testing resumed.

In addition, Columbia University’s National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse: Teens and Parents found that 67% of teenagers and 60% of parents agreed that drug tests are effective in preventing teenagers from using illegal drugs.

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The Times has revealed that prescriptions for the addictive opiate Oxycodone have increase 430% in Scotland since 2002. Oxycodone has recently been in the news due to the accidental overdose by actor Heath Ledger. Oxycodone is a powerful opiate that is used as a postoperative painkiller for cancer patients and has become one of the most widely abused illicit drugs in the United States.

The DaytaTree Opinion: The widespread availability and abuse of a legally-available opiate has important implications for workplace drug testing and school drug testing programs.

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Lubbock High Schools have started to implement the University Interscholastic League steriod testing program. About 90 student athletes in all sports and of both genders at Lubbock High were tested. The University Interscholastic League (UIL) is the organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, music, and academic contests for public elementary and secondary schools the state of Texas. The annual testing program will include male and female students in grades 9-12 and throughout all sports, eventually covering roughly 30 percent of all UIL member high schools. Students who tests positive for anabolic steroids will be suspended for 30 days from competing in UIL-sanctioned athletic events. The students are reinstated following a negative result on a subsequent test. Students that fail a drug test a second time will receive a one-year suspension. Failing a third drug tests will result in permanent ban.

Texas Senate Bill 8 of 2007 required the UIL to implement a statewide steroid testing program that would randomly select approximately 40,000 to 50,000 athletes for testing of anabolic steroids.

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The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), John Fahey, has promised more sophisticated drug testing in response to a survey that showed 30 per cent of Australia’s top athletes believed they could get away with using performance-enhancing drugs.

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The Ontario School Board has unanimously approved the resolution giving its Drug Testing Exploration Committee permission to continue research into introducing drug testing. It is expected that all student drivers and students involved in extra-curricular activities will be subject to random drug testing beginning the 2008-2009 school year.

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The Examinar has published a detailed article on the Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education research into developing a random drug testing program.

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Lewisville Independent School District drug testing program will begin on April 14 with a pool of students drawn from 80 percent of the school population. The students will be drawn from sStudents who are part of an extracurricular activity such as sports, band, and debate teams; students that have parking permits; and students that voluntarily participate in testing. Some 75 students will be tested each week for drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, prescription painkillers or opiates, PCP, sedatives, and stimulants. Students will be requested to provide a urine sample, with failure to provide after three hours counting as a refusal. The samples will be analyzed in a laboratory. If the student fails the test the parents will be called to see if there is a reason for the failure. Retesting costs $100, which will be refunded if the confirmation test is negative.

A first offense will result in a three week activity ban and three counseling sessions. A second offense will result in a six week activity ban, ADAPT program enrollment, and weekly drug testing. A third offence results in lost privileges for an entire calendar year, family counseling sessions, and a requirement to pass a drug test prior prior to reinstating any privileges.

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The Register Mail has published a useful summary of the Illinois High School Association Drug Testing Program.

Start: 2008-09 school year.

Cost: $100,000-$150,000.

Funding source: Illinois High School Association.

Number of students tested: Between 700 and 1,000 tests during the 2008-09 school year.

Sports tested: All.

Other states that drug test athletes: New Jersey, Florida and Texas.

Banned substances: Drugs classified as stimulants, anabolic steroids, diuretics and peptide hormones and analogues. Some of the 78 substances listed include ecstasy, cocaine, steroids, amphetamines, cocaine, caffeine, testosterone and human growth hormone.

Penalties for violation: Athletes will face year suspension with a possible reduction to 90 days from the time of the positive test if they take an educational program and then submit a negative follow-up test. Team penalties will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

When will the IHSA test: Athletes tested during state tournament competition, directly following a contest.

What if my child has an illness that requires them to take a banned substance: The IHSA’s medical review officer, who has not been hired yet, will judge whether the student-athlete’s illness is valid. The athlete will not be suspended from play until the review is finished.

How much caffeine would result in positive test: About four caffeine pills or nine cups of coffee almost immediately before the test.

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Spring Valley Hall High School Board has approved an updated drug testing policy. Public opinion was solicited while developing the drug testing policy, which includes testing for nicotine as well as illegal drugs. They next step is to educated parents and students. The policy now includes all extracurricular activities, which means that about 80 per cent of students will be subject to random drug testing. Hall High School has suspended for drug and alcohol use and expelled five in the past five year. The updated policy will be implemented in 2008.

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The Daily Tribune has published an article on reducing peer pressure as the primary benefit of school drug testing.

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The Illinois High School Association has announced an innovative flexible team-penalty policy as part of its drug testing program that is due to start next academic year.

The details have been published here in the Chicago Tribune.

Illinois is the first state to impose team penalties for an individual’s positive performance-enhancing drug test.

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The Beaufort Gazette has published an article about the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee proposal that could result in a constitutional amendment requiring political candidates to take a drug test before seeking public office. The proposal follows an incident when an elected official, the South Carolina Treasurer, was indicted for possession of cocaine. The article explores the legal issues.

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The Journal Gazette has published an article making the case for steriod testing in Indiana’s schools.

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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs, has published its 2008 Annual Report that covers its activities for 2007.

The report is well presented and easy to read and available for download in PDF format.

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The Action Against Tranquilliser Addiction Web site provides useful information for anyone that needs to deal with tranquilliser addition:

This document concerns serious problems associated with benzodiazepines and the Z drugs. These drugs are commonly prescribed for insomnia, anxiety, muscular disorders but are also a significant drug on the illicit drug market. Our organisation has serious concerns with these drugs including addiction, withdrawal problems, long term damage and crime. The reader should note that where it says benzodiazepines we also include the Z drugs which share very similar pharmacological actions, side effects, toxicities and addictive potential. The Z drugs include zopiclone, zolpidem and zaleplon.

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