Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry News
B.C. reaches $150M settlement with Purdue Pharma in lawsuit for opioid damages
On June 29, opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma (Purdue Canada) agreed to the first of its kind settlement in Canada of $150 million, following a B.C.-led lawsuit created with the aim of recovering healthcare costs related to the sale and marketing of opioid-based pain...
Brampton school bus driver charged with impaired driving after collision
A school bus driver is facing impaired driving charges after the school bus with kids onboard that she was driving collided with another vehicle in Brampton. The collision took place at Countryside and Coleraine drives on June 24. According to the Peel police, the...
Opinion: Kelowna in need of politicians to tackle drug crisis
A recent opinion article published in Lake Country Calendar and authored by Jacqueline Gelineau discussed the urgent need to take more measures in order to manage the growing opioid crisis in Kelowna. According to some local experts and policymakers, the local...
One-third of recent cannabis users have driven while high
According to the recently published results of a survey conducted in January 2022 by EKOS for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, 33% of Canadians who report having used cannabis within the previous year have also reported having engaged in...
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...