Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry News
Data on brain damage due to opioid use lacking
Canada is currently facing a serious opioid crisis, with over 9,000 opioid-related deaths having occurred between January 2016 and June 2018. However, no comprehensive statistics exist regarding individuals who have survived brain-damaging effects of opioids. Canadian...
Deadly synthetic opioid found in Toronto
Ontario police have issued a warning after the discovery of a new synthetic opioid in Toronto. The substance has been linked to overdose deaths around the world, and is now appearing in Canada. The drug’s full name is U-48800, and it has been previously identified in...
Fentanyl found in student’s drugs
The Delta School District has sent an urgent warning message to parents after drugs brought to school by a student tested positive for fentanyl. According to the letter sent to students’ parents, the pills were labeled as Xanax, a medication commonly prescribed for...
New alternative to alcohol contains illegal substance
Health Canada is warning consumers against the potential dangers of a new non-alcoholic alternative drink, Pace, manufactured by Diet Alcohol Corporation of the Americas (DACA). Pace is described by its manufacturer, on its website, as a "healthy alcohol alternative."...
Shoppers Drugmart approved for online medical cannabis sales
Under the current Health Canada regulations for medical cannabis, the only method of legal distribution of cannabis is by mail order from licensed producers directly to patients. Health Canada has updated its list of authorized cannabis sellers and producers,...
Ontario police to socially shame impaired drivers
Due to increasing numbers of impaired drivers on local roads, two southern Ontario police forces have resorted to public shaming as a strategy to potentially deter future offenses. Two police services operating north of Toronto, York Regional Police and the South...
Suncor to implement random testing in 2019
Starting in the first quarter of 2019, workers and contractors of Suncor Energy will be subject to random alcohol and drug tests. Suncor Energy, a Canadian integrated energy company based in Calgary, Alberta, specializes in the production of oil and natural gas in...
Zero tolerance possible for Canadian factory workers
Canadian factory workers at risk for termination or employment refusal for recreational marijuana use The recreational use of cannabis became legal on October 17, 2018, under the federal Cannabis Act. As such, Canadians aged 18 years or older can legally possess up to...
Opioid crisis worsens in British Columbia
Canada has been undergoing an opioid crisis, and unfortunately it is not improving. According to recent information put out by the Public Health Agency of Canada, from January 2016 to March 2018, an average of nearly ten people die every day due to an illicit drug...