Fentanyl is a drug so potent that just 2 or 3 milligrams, an amount equivalent to 5 or 6 grains of salt, can prove fatal. A drug so lethal, the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issued a warning for Emergency Responders and others who have a high risk of coming into Read more »
How Long Does Alcohol Stay in Your System?
Employers spend billions of dollars each year due to employee alcohol abuse. The breakdown of that figure includes health complications, loss of productivity, accidents, and absenteeism. Alcohol abuse in the workplace is a thorn in the side of employers. Therefore, it’s important to know how long alcohol stays in an employee’s system. Using alcohol in Read more »
More Kids Accidentally Hospitalized Due to Pot Edibles
Some parents have found that marijuana legalization put an entirely different spin on the phrase getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Fessing up was the only solution. Their child got into the edible stash and they immediately sought medical help. Realizing there had been no such study, JAMA Pediatrics gathered data to Read more »
Metropolitan Areas Test Highest For Marijuana Positivity
Just Say No! A familiar battle cry in the US war on drugs during the 1980s and even the early 1990s, was not having much success in drug prevention when it came to the workplace. In an effort to combat the ever growing drug problem, the Drug-Free Workplace Act was signed into law in 1988. Read more »
How Long Does Oxycodone Stay in Your System?
Oxycodone is a semi-synthetic opioid. Doctors use this drug as a prescription pain medication. Often prescribed after a severe injury or major surgery, it also treats chronic pain. However, that is becoming less common as doctors seek other forms of relief for patients. However, because this drug works in the pleasure center of the brain, Read more »
Collectors—It’s Time for Yearly BAT Calibration
As a collector, your job has a direct bearing on the course another person’s life is about to take, so it’s critical that your BAT device is calibrated. There should be no risk whatsoever that the breathalyzer unit used for testing is malfunctioning and could be giving incorrect results. If you are a sample collector, Read more »
What Drugs are Missed by Your Drug Test?
The most commonly used drug screen panel for drug testing in the workplace is the SAMHSA-5 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). This panel was established in the 1980s under the Drug Free Workplace Act. It tests for amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana (THC), opiates and PCP. That sounds like a good place to start. This Read more »
Expanded Opiate Drug Testing May Not Be Automatic
Normally prescribed as pain pills, the semi-synthetic drugs hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxymorphone and oxycodone are highly addictive. And, the use of them (both, prescribed and illegal) has gotten vastly out of control, placing the United States in crisis mode. Drug testing panels have long included screening for the opiates codeine and morphine. But, nearly a year Read more »