Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry News
Former Canadian Olympian involved in drug ring
Earlier in October, former Canadian Olympic snowboarder James Wedding and 15 others faced criminal charges for allegedly running an international drug trafficking operation which shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Canada. Specifically, the group...
Ontario needs a holistic approach to drug treatment: Expert opinion
In her recent interview with CBC News, Dr. Sharon Koivu, an addiction medicine consultant with St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, expressed concerns and disappointment at the Ontario government’s decision to close 10 supervised drug consumption sites across the...
Methadone restrictions eased in U.S. to allow easier access and home use
Starting in April of this year, the U.S. federal government eased some of the rules around the treatment for opioid addiction, aimed to expand access to the life-saving drug. According to a new federal rule, patients who are receiving treatment for addiction disorders...
Cannabis use in teens has negative impact on academics: New study
According to a new study carried out by researchers from McMaster University and published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, teens who use cannabis have significantly worse outcomes at school. The research study involved a meta-analysis of 63 scientific studies with...
Co-abuse of alcohol and amphetamines leads to kidney and liver damage
A recent article published in the journal Nature examined the prevalence of alcohol use disorder among individuals using amphetamine, as well as their combined effects on health. This study was a cross-sectional study comparing hospital patients and control...
Some Canadian provinces to expand involuntary care for individuals with addiction issues
Earlier in September, the British Columbia government announced its plans to expand involuntary care for those with mental health and addictions issues, as well as open "highly secure" facilities, to provide housing for people detained under the Mental Health Act...
2024 Autumn Newsletter
We hope that you are enjoying this lovely autumn as much as we are, a perfect time to take a break and get cozy with DATAC's 2024 Autumn Newsletter. In this newsletter we chat with Lisa Gustafson who set up Triple S Safety in Fort Nelson, BC to fulfill the needs of...
New study explores relationship between social isolation and substance abuse
A new research study published in the journal Prim Care Companion CNS Disord examined the link between social isolation and substance abuse among hospitalized adults. The study authors used the 2018 National Inpatient Sample dataset to identify adult hospitalizations...
U.S. Overdose Deaths Decreased in 2023 for the first time since 2018
According to the results of a recent report released by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2023. This corresponds to a decrease of...