Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry News
Harm reduction items now available from vending machines in Atlantic Canada
As part of new harm reduction measures funded by the federal government, vending machines that dispense harm reduction items including HIV self-testing kits, clean needles, and naloxone kits have been installed in Atlantic Canada. In addition, there are plans to...
New B.C. drug law exemption could reduce seizures of some drugs in half
According to a new analysis by Postmedia, the recent decriminalization of small amounts of specific illicit drugs in B.C. could decrease the number of seizures of some drugs by more than half. Following the decriminalization, which took place on January 31, B.C....
Xylazine increasingly appearing in Canada’s street drug supply
In recent months, xylazine, a potent sedative circulating in the illicit drug supply in the United States, has been increasingly detected in Canada’s street drugs, as health experts have raised concerns due to its risk of contributing to overdose-related deaths....
Banff harm reduction program offers free fentanyl tests
Earlier in January, the Banff Public Library launched a pilot program which combines harm reduction approaches with access to relevant information in order to address the ongoing opioid crisis in Alberta. Moreover, the library had partnered with primary care networks...
Impaired driving offences are on the rise in Saskatchewan
According to new data released by Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI), there were 414 impaired driving offences in the province in December, including 240 Criminal Code of Canada charges and 174 sanctions such as license suspensions. While the number of criminal...
Reviewing your FMCSA drug and alcohol testing program for 2023
Since the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) launched its Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse in January 2020, carriers became required to query the clearinghouse before hiring a driver. Consequently, implementing drug and...
FMCSA rejects request to use hair testing results
In December, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) denied a request from a group of carriers to expand the scope of the reported drug clearinghouse results to also include the results of hair testing. The request for hair testing results to be...
P.E.I. Special unit arrests dozens in 2022
According to a news release published by the RCMP on Prince Edward Island, a specialized unit made 52 impaired driving arrests in 2022. In addition, 43 of the drivers arrested were impaired by drugs, while eight drivers were impaired by alcohol, and one was charged...
Yukon leads the country with highest per-capita overdose death rate
In an update published on December 15, Yukon’s Chief Coroner Dr. Heather Jones stated that a total of 25 people died from toxic drug use in the territory during 2022. These numbers correspond to the record-high 2021 overdose-related death statistics for the territory....