Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry News
Guelph Police investigate reports of students’ spiked drinks
The Guelph Police Service launched an investigation of at least four reports of female students' drinks being spiked with an unknown substance after receiving the information from the University of Guelph in September of this year. According to a statement released by...
Mental health in jeopardy as pandemic continues
According to the results of a recent survey conducted by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, nearly 9 out of 10 family doctors across Canada have stated they are increasingly concerned about patients' emotional stress related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic....
Quebec’s first mobile drug-testing unit gets approved by Health Canada
Earlier in September, Montreal’s Groupe de recherche et d’intervention psychosociale (GRIP) received an exemption from Health Canada to use its fully equipped drug-testing van to determine the composition of illicit drugs at festivals, raves and other events. GRIP’s...
Constructions workers in Western Canada heavily represented in overdose deaths
According to the results of recent large-scale studies, construction workers are heavily represented in overdose deaths across Western Canada and the U.S. An analysis of 872 overdose deaths carried out by the BC Coroners Service showed that 44% of the individuals were...
Walpole Island First Nation Targets Drug Smugglers
Earlier in July, Walpole Island First Nation, a community situated south of Sarnia, Ont., declared a state of emergency to help stop a spike in overdoses. Opiates and, specifically fentanyl have been determined as the leading cause of the growing numbers of overdoses...
Fraser Health region sees increase in overdoses
Over recent months, health officials in the Fraser Health region of B.C. have voiced their concerns regarding an increase in overdoses linked to use of opioids laced with benzodiazepines. In her interview with CBC News, Dr. Ariella Zbar, medical health officer for the...
More states legalizing cannabis
In recent years, recreational cannabis legalization in the U.S. has been slowly gaining momentum state by state. The shifting legal landscape in the U.S. currently overlaps with a significant increase in public support for legalization, which is now favoured by the...
New Jersey employers seek workplace testing guidance as cannabis becomes legalized
Earlier this year, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed A21, the “New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act” (CREAMMA), enabling legislation for the amendment to the New Jersey Constitution and, thereby, legalizing the...
Experts advise good-faith efforts matter in return-to-work plans after drug and alcohol rehabilitation
A recent webinar presented by the labour, employment and human rights law publisher Lancaster House examined substance use in the workplace, as well as the outcomes of arbitration cases. According to the webinar speakers, "good-faith efforts" are essential in creating...