Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry News
Second Canadian sentenced to death for drug smuggling in China
A court in China has sentenced Fan Wei to death for producing and trafficking methamphetamine. Wei is the second Canadian sentenced to death this year, and his verdict was announced amid escalating tensions between Canada and China over the arrest of a Huawei...
The impact of cannabis legalization on employers 6 months later
A recent article in Canadian HR Reporter examines the workplace concerns around legalization of cannabis 6 months after its implementation. According to Jason Fleming, strategic adviser at Cannabis at Work, in Toronto, the hype associated with the legalization of...
Legalization: Has it impacted the black market?
Since the legalization of Cannabis on October 17, 2018, many Canadian experts have been carefully observing the consequences in order to evaluate its efficacy in decreasing drug trafficking by organized crime. Business columnist Don Pittis discussed insights acquired...
Importance of reasonable suspicion training
A Vancouver employer recently learned that testing an employee for drug impairment on top of alcohol impairment without a reasonable cause is not allowed. On March 13, 2017, a unionized employee “C.L.” working in a safety-sensitive position at Vancouver Drydock Co....
Canada’s hidden issue with fetal alcohol syndrome
A recent article published in the National Post examines the prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in Canada, concluding that the existing underlying drinking problem among women needs to be addressed. FASD is an general term used to describe a range of...
Dangerous drugs detected in Canada
Earlier in April, two dangerous and potentially-deadly drugs were found in Canada. In the first instance, carfentanil, a synthetic opioid approximately 100 times stronger than fentanyl, and 10000 times stronger than morphine, was discovered in Ottawa. In the second...
FMCSA prepares to launch Clearinghouse database
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has created a website which provides answers for frequently asked questions regarding the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, a national online database which will list, in real time, the names of commercial motor...
Review: Clearing the smoke on cannabis
A research report released by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction entitled “Clearing the Smoke on Cannabis – Regular Use and Cognitive Functioning” evaluates a large number of scientific studies on the effects of cannabis use on cognitive functions and...
Synthetic urine use on the rise
With more companies and organizations implementing drug testing, the market for synthetic urine is undergoing a rapid growth. Synthetic urine can be created in a laboratory using a mixture of urea, water, creatinine and/or uric acid. Urinalysis testing employs two...