Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry News
Shambhala festival leads Canada with drug checking
A recent article published by Kamloops News and Business Directory discussed the drug testing services available at the West Kootenay music festival Shambhala, which have been at the forefront of implementing key harm reduction strategies for festival-goers. Since...
New Jersey looks to legislate drug testing for bus drivers
In May of this year, U.S. Bergen County Assembly Republicans Robert Auth and DeAnne DeFuccio had announced their plan to introduce a bill requiring all public and private school bus drivers to be drug tested twice a year. The proposal was made a week after legal...
B.C. to expand mental health and substance use services in Vernon
According to a news release published by BC Gov News, the provincial government plans to expand and increase access to mental health and substance use services in Vernon. In addition, the news release states that through Interior Health, the province plans to add four...
Drug checking to save lives in California
In a recent opinion article published by the Los Angeles Times, the author Emily Alpert Reyes examined the increasingly contaminated drug supply and drug checking services in California. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that...
More Canadian cities using drug-checking services
As the number of overdose-related deaths continues to climb in Alberta, reaching a record high in 2021, a new pilot drug-checking service has been launched in Calgary as a prevention tool. The program, organized by Alberta Alliance Who Educate and Advocate Responsibly...
British Columbia first province to decriminalize simple drug possession
On May 31, the federal government announced that starting on Jan. 31, 2023, British Columbia will become the first province in Canada to decriminalize possession of small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use. The decision was made following the request by the...
Opinion: Alberta pushing to expand one drug addictions program that actually works
In a recent opinion article published by the Edmonton Journal, David Staples discussed the current ongoing provincial government program that has gained strong support from all sides of the political spectrum. The program is led by Grace Froese of the John Howard...
Saskatoon drug-related roadside driving suspensions spiked in 2021
According to data released by the Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI), 523 drivers failed roadside drug tests, and had their vehicles seized and licences suspended for three days in 2021. Compared to data collected in 2020, these numbers correspond to a six-fold...
Experts criticize Alberta safe supply committee report
Earlier in May, a group of over 50 clinicians and researchers from across Canada, including one director of harm-reduction research at Yale University, published an open letter criticizing the Alberta government's commissioned report on safe supply. As part of its...