Drugs

Orlando, FL – In 2016, American workers tested positive for illicit drugs at the highest rate in 12 years, according to an annual study conducted by lab services provider Quest Diagnostics.

Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands – A new policy paper from the Emergency Nurses Association and the International Nurses Society on Addictions emphasizes “alternative-to-discipline” methods for nurses and nursing students who may be struggling with drug and alcohol addiction.

Fort Collins, CO – Almost one-quarter of workers in Colorado’s cannabis industry have never received workplace safety and health training, and the remaining three-quarters have reported discrepancies in the quantity and quality of their training, according to a recent study from Colorado State University and the Center for Health, Work and Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health.

Atlanta – Opioids, including those obtained by prescription as well as illegal forms such as heroin, were involved in more than 33,000 overdose deaths in 2015 – more than any year on record and nearly quadruple the number of overdoses recorded in 2000, according to the latest issue of "Business Pulse" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Arlington, VA – The American Trucking Associations is calling for the federal government to release guidelines and standards regarding the use of hair samples as a drug-testing method for commercial motor vehicle drivers.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Annual Drug and Alcohol Information Survey is underway.

Washington – The controlled substances random testing rate for motor carriers will remain at 25 percent during the 2017 calendar year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently announced.

Washington – Commercial motor vehicle drivers who fail a drug and alcohol test will be listed on a national clearinghouse to be created by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, according to a final rule published Dec. 5.

Washington – NIOSH has added 34 drugs to its list of those that have the potential to be hazardous to an estimated 8 million U.S. health care workers.

On average, 52 people die every day in the United States as a result of prescription opioid overdoses, and statistics show that prescription painkillers such as Oxycontin, Percocet and Vicodin account for more drug overdoses than heroin and cocaine combined.