Drugged Driving and Alcohol DUI Leading Cause of Deaths

2008 SAMHSA REPORT - United Stated Department of Heatlh and Human Services

5% of people drove under the influence of illicit drugs in the past year (10 million drivers)
(15% under influence of alcohol).

States with the highest drugged driving rates:
District of Columbia (7.0 percent),
Rhode Island (6.8 percent),
Massachusetts (6.4 percent),
Montana (6.3 percent), and
Wyoming (6.2 percent).

Impaired driving is the LEADING CAUSE OF DEATHS among persons aged 3 to 33.

Illicit drugs, as defined above, includes marijuana/hashish, cocaine (including crack), inhalants, hallucinogens, heroin, or prescription-type drugs used nonmedically.

Drug Testing Educators

The West Des Moines school district is believed to be the first in Iowa to adopt alcohol and illicit drug testing for all potential employees.The new policy was approved Monday and mimics private sector drug screening.

It is uncommon for public schools nationwide.

“We can say with a fair amount of confidence that this is the first such policy in Iowa,” said Lisa Bartusek, associate executive director for the Iowa Association of School Boards.


The school board unanimously approved the policy, which affects all potential employees and also current ones who are suspected of drug use. Employees who test positive for drug use or who arrive at work with a blood-alcohol concentration of .04 percent or more could be fired or forced to seek rehabilitation.

"It was surprising to me that other districts don’t do this,” said board member Susan Moritz, who helped craft the policy. “It came out of the idea that our bus drivers were already being tested, and if we felt that was important for our bus drivers, wasn’t it also important for the people who were in our buildings?”

The purpose is to “help new applicants understand that we simply don’t tolerate any kind of drug abuse on the job.”

Original Source: Des Moines Register

Drug Testing for Traffice Accidents

Kansas House approves bill to require drug testing in ‘major’ wrecks.

Drivers and passengers involved in “major” traffic wrecks in Kansas would be required to submit to drug testing, if a bill approved by the state’s House becomes law.

State law now allows law enforcement officers to order drug testing, if there is “reasonable suspicion” that the person is under the influence.

The House voted 117-5 to forward a bill to the Senate that would require truckers and other drivers, as well as their passengers, to undergo drug testing when they are involved in certain types of wrecks.

Officers would no longer need a presumption of a drug violation to force drivers to submit to the testing.

Supporters say changes are needed to make it easier to test people involved in wrecks resulting in fatalities or serious injuries. The bill would allow law enforcement to collect evidence for potential criminal prosecutions, they say.
Opponents say it is unconstitutional to force someone to submit to a blood or urine test if there is no probable cause to suspect them of a crime.
A provision added to the bill would permit people to refuse to a test. Taking that route, however, could result in loss of driving privileges.
Another change to the bill would authorize officers to waive the test requirement if they believe the actions of the driver did not contribute to the wreck.
The bill – HB2617 – has moved to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Source: By Keith Goble, state legislative editorkeith_goble@landlinemag.com

Drugged Driving

Drivers is Australia who tested positive to drugs in roadside checks have had their results confirmed in a laboratory and will be charged.

Police had to wait until Queensland Health Scientific Services analysed the drivers' saliva samples in its laboratory and confirmed the presence of drugs before they could be charged.
All 10 drivers tested positive to driving while under the influence of methamphetamine.

A 42-year-old man has been summonsed to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on January 31 and a 25-year-old man will appear in the same court on February 11.

Since random drug-testing of drivers was introduced on December 1, 19 drivers have tested positive to drugs, up until midnight on Thursday.

Police are still awaiting laboratory confirmation of the remaining nine test results.

Of the 19 drivers, 17 tested positive to methamphetamine, one tested positive to both methamphetamine and cannabis and one tested positive for ecstasy.

Drug-drivers can be fined up to $1050, lose their licence or face up to three months' jail.
Police hope to saliva-test about 20,000 drivers in the first year of the random roadside drug-testing operations and expect about 300 to test positive to illicit drugs.

The introduction of drug testing comes as Queensland cut its road toll by more than two-thirds for the official holiday period, with four deaths against last year's 13.
Across Australia, 45 people died on the roads this season compared with 62 last year.

Oxycodone / Hydrocodone Drug Related Deaths Exceed Those for Heroin

Tampa, Florida -

Drug related deaths for oxycodone and hydrocondone exceed those for heroin in the State of Florida.

U.S. Drug Czar John Walters again voiced concern about the abuse of prescription drugs.

Walters, National Director of Drugs Control Policy, noted that many teens and young people believe prescription pills are not as dangerous as street drugs.

12% of people between the ages of 18 and 25 report abusing prescription drugs in the past year.


CBS NEWS - WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News - Tampa / St. Petersburg

Significant Changes to Employee Drug Testing Laws

Significant Changes to Substance Abuse Testing Laws

Recently the States of Hawaii and Georgia passed legislation in support of workplace drug testing, specifically relative to oral fluid-based/saliva drug on-site screening, and workers compensation premium credits. These actions highlight the need for effective drug-free workplace programs as well convenient drug screening technologies that can be applied consistently, across all modes of testing, especially, however, for random, post-incident, and reasonable suspicion.

It is critical that drug-free workplace safety initiatives are enhanced for the betterment of the American workplace as a whole: employers, employees and families, insurors, etc.
Drug abuse is as bad as it has ever been in our places of employment as well as school systems, and hopefully, these new statutes are a sign of a commitment to change.

Our society cannot continue to sweep America's drug abuse problem under the rug. Abuse of prescription drugs, especially pain-relievers, has superseded marijuana and is is a dangerous trend world-wide.

Arguably, “recreational” marijuana use outside of the workplace may have little, if any, impact to employers or employees, excluding the obvious legal issues. The non-medical use of prescription pain relievers, however, in addition to being potentially lethal, commonly leads to addiction and even escalates to heroin use. The safety and wellness aspect of prescription drug abuse is a very serious issue that must be addressed.
Hawaii
A law that became effective on July 1, 2007, now allows employers to perform on-the-job drug testing using instant, on-site oral fluid/saliva drug screening devices. Oral fluid tests are cheaper, faster and easier to use than urinalysis, hopefully leading to more widespread and consistent drug testing programs.

While it may surprise many, the construction industry and locals unions in particular strongly advocate the new legislation as a means to replace the typical, more expensive laboratory-based urine drug testing. With oral fluid, initial results are available in minutes, and observing the sample collection mitigates the prevalent practice of drug abusers “beating the test” via sample adulteration or substitution. Urine laboratory testing typically required the expensive practice of sending employees off-site to a clinic or laboratory, a process that takes at least 3-4 hours with results available for 24-48 hours. As noted by Lt. Governor Aiona of Hawaii, "Drug and alcohol abuse remain a problem in Hawaii's workforce. The law will go a long way towards helping to promote a drug-free workplace. This measure provides a cost effective on-the-job alternative to laboratory tests that can be costly and difficult to schedule."According to the U.S. Department of Labor, drug or alcohol abuse is involved in the majority of fatal accidents in the workplace. These laws represent an effort by the State Government to make the workplace safer for everyone.Although the new law permitting oral drug testing was effective on July 1, 2007, in many cases collective bargaining agreements will have to be updated before companies can start using the non-FDA approved tests. This procedure isn't expected to take long, however, since the unions - as well as management and the State Government - are in favor of the new law. According to union sources, they welcome the improved safety and working conditions that the tests will introduce.
One representative of the Pacific Resource Partnership, an alliance between contractors and the Carpenters Union Local 745, said construction workers and the industry pushed for the new tests as a way to decrease costs and save time while keeping job sites safe."This is something that I think is going to be a great asset for employers, especially in the construction industry where public safety is a huge factor," said Lt. Governor Aiona.

Georgia
In a similar bill, Governor Perdue of Georgia recently signed Senate Bill 96 into law which provides the option for companies throughout Georgia to drug test employees using an on-site rapid result oral fluid/saliva devices.

As in Hawaii, initial qualitative results are available in minutes, and if “negative” an employee goes back to work. Any “non-negative” (preliminary positive) results are sent to a lab for a GC/MS or LC/MS/MS quantitative analytical testing prior to substantive employers’ actions such as mandatory enrollment in employee assistance programs/counseling, removal from safety-sensitive duties, and/or suspension.
Per Governor Perdue, the bill which overwhelmingly passed the State Senate and House of Representatives, "had the strong support of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and many other advocates of safe and drug-free workplaces that protect not only business owners, but employees and consumers as well.Companies using on-site oral fluid/saliva screens will now receive a 7.5 percent reduction in their worker's compensation insurance premiums. Summary

Drug testing in the workplace is not only legal, it may very well be part of an employer’s responsibility to provide a safe workplace for employees. The United Supreme Court has ruled that drug testing, including random drug testing, is legal. Furthermore, per the Department of Labor, OSHA, it is an employer’s responsibility to provide a safe workplace for all employees.

Assuming a comprehensive safety program is in place, a safe workplace is simply not possible without also maintaining a comprehensive drug-free workplace program inclusive of employee education, drug testing, and employee assistance/counseling.
Regardless of the specimen type used such as oral fluid/saliva, urine, or hair, it is critical that specimen collection be directly observed, and that drug testing is done on a regular basis. This includes; random, post-incident, reasonable suspicion, and return-to-duty mode. Pre-employment testing, while currently the most widely practiced of modes, is referred to by many experts as an “intelligence test”, and should not be relied upon exclusively.

When combined with education, and employee assistance programs, comprehensive drug-free workplace programs consistently result in a reduction in reportable site accidents of up to 50% or more, as well as multiple other safety and “bottom-line” benefits.