Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry News
Drug and alcohol testing resulting in driver shortage
According to Chris Harvey, a top Wells Fargo analyst, federal cannabis criminalization and resulting drug testing mandates in the U.S. have served as the main cause for rising costs and worker shortages in the transportation sector. Harvey serves as head of an equity...
Employer’s ban on medical cannabis was discriminatory, says arbitrator
In December of 2021, an Ontario arbitrator ruled that an employer’s total prohibition of medical cannabis for a safety-sensitive position was discriminatory. Specifically, an Ontario labour board arbitrator had ruled that the employer, Ornge, must attempt to...
Kwanlin Dün First Nation announces new substance use programs
Earlier in February, Kwanlin Dün First Nation Chief Doris Bill had announced a new suite of treatment and harm reduction services to help citizens grappling with addiction. The new services will include funding for private treatment services across the country, as...
New tools needed to diagnose and treat fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a group of conditions affecting the brain and body after an individual becomes prenatally exposed to alcohol. Currently, the prevalence of FASD among Canadian children and youth is 1 per 1000 (0.1%), though the prevalence is...
Winnipeg getting positive feedback about decriminalization
In a notice of motion introduced by two Winnipeg city councillors, Sherri Rollins and Markus Chambers, the city's chief administrative officer (CAO) has been requested to work with the federal government on receiving an exemption under the Controlled Drugs and...
Alberta’s top court dismisses challenge of ID requirement at supervised drug use sites
With a ruling that came into force on February 1, the Alberta Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal from harm reduction advocates to suspend a provincial policy that requires individuals who want to use the services of supervised drug use sites to provide their...
Opinion: A new approach to end the opioid crisis
A recent opinion article published by the Ottawa Sun discussed a novel approach to end the ongoing opioid crisis in Canada. The article’s authors, Natasha Touesnard, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs, Dr. Christy Sutherland, a...
Study: Driving and cannabis
THC is now being detected in twice as many injured drivers since the legalization of cannabis in 2018, according to the results of a UBC research published in January in the New England Journal of Medicine. These findings may indicate that increasing numbers of...
Benzodiazepines are now ‘a major problem’ in illicit drug supply
Across Canada, provincial health experts and authorities have expressed concerns due to the growing incidence of detection of benzodiazepines in the illicit drug supply. According to the findings of a report released by the BC Coroners Service, the detection of...