Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry News
Arrests for fentanyl surpass heroin arrests: DEA
According to a new U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) report, arrests by the Drug Enforcement Administration for fentanyl offenses exceeded those for heroin offenses for the first time in fiscal year 2021. The data for the report were collected from the U.S....
American alcohol-related deaths soar
A new study published earlier in February by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) demonstrates that deaths linked to excessive alcohol consumption jumped by 29% over the last five years. As part of the study, researchers examined data from the federal...
New research examines impact of cannabis on mental health
In recent months, researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute have published several studies examining the association between cannabis use and mental health disorders. Led by Dr. Daniel Myran, a researcher with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and a...
U.S. Study shows increased injuries among young workers with cannabis legalization
According to a new study published in the journal JAMA Health Forum, there has been an increase in on-the-job injuries among younger workers in the U.S. following legalization of cannabis sale for recreational purposes. Specifically, the study determined that...
2024 First Quarter Newsletter
DATAC is delighted to present our first newsletter of the year, full of useful information about the drug and alcohol testing industry. If you weren’t able to join us for our first webinar of the year on Environmental Exposure hosted by Dr. Donna Coy, USDTLs...
Belleville declares overdose emergency
On February 8, Belleville’s mayor Neil Ellis declared an overdose emergency following 23 overdoses occurring in the city over the span of two days. While none of the overdoses occurring that week were fatal, the spike in drug overdoses was so significant that, when 14...
Magic mushroom seizures on the rise in the US
According to the results of a new study funded by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), law enforcement seizures of mushrooms containing the psychoactive component psilocybin increased dramatically in the United States between January 2017 and December...
HHS marks two years of Overdose Prevention Strategy
Earlier in February, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) marked two years of implementation of its Overdose Prevention Strategy launched by the Biden-Harris administration and announced new actions to prevent illicit drug-related overdoses. As part...
Stigma creates obstacles to opioid dependency treatment
A recent opinion article authored by Dr. Mark S. Gould and published by Psychology Today discusses the impact of negative attitudes and stigma towards individuals affected by opioid use disorder on their access to treatment. According to Dr. Gould, stigma can...