Drug Testing

Lawmakers Back Up Drug Testing Bill for Welfare Recipients

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Testing on January 25th, 2012

Kentucky State Reps. Jody Richards and Jim DeCesare are both backing up a bill which will make drug testing for people who are receiving public assistance a mandatory procedure.

drug testing“If you’re drug tested for a private job, why shouldn’t you be drug tested for public assistance? If you have nothing to hide, then there shouldn’t be a problem,” Rep. DeCesare said.

The drug testing bill has been introduced during last year’s General Assembly but it has made very little progress.

Drug testing will be done only if a caseworker suspects substance abuse from a recipient. The suspected individual will then be subjected to drug testing and should he fail, he will be given a list of substance abuse treatment facilities in the area. Children of recipients who fail the drug test will still continue to receive public assistance.

“I think it could be practical in its implementation,” Rep. Richards stated. “I think most people think that it’s fair. If you’re on assistance, you should be drug tested.”

Another bill scheduled to be tackled is one authored by Richards that pertains to the health and wellness of state employees. The Kentucky Personnel Cabinet will be required to create programs which will improve the health and wellness of state employees if the said bill should pass legislation.

Incentives will be given to those who participate in such programs. The state will source the funds from their current annual budget as well as from surplus funds from previous years.

“There are incentives for people to reduce weight, stop smoking,” according to Rep. Richards. “With Kentucky being such an unhealthy state, I think this is really important. It’s important to hold down expenses on health care as much as we can.”

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How Marijuana Can Be Detected in the Body

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Testing, Marijuana Use and Abuse on January 20th, 2012

While the effects of marijuana can be short-lived in one’s system, it can still be detected even after days or weeks. It all depends on how often one uses it and how much of it is used each time a person smokes it.

marijuanaMarijuana contains the active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol more commonly known as delta-9-THC or just plain THC. These compounds enter the system as soon as pot is smoked, but it takes a longer period of time to arrive in the blood stream if weed is ingested instead. The average time for its effect to manifest in the body if ingested is about 20 minutes to an hour.

Because THC is rapidly metabolized in the body to become metabolites, the substance can only be detected in the bloodstream for up to a few hours. THC is able to produce more than 80 types of metabolites which are stored in the body and gradually excreted through the urine or feces of its user.

Urine drug tests can detect THC and its metabolites for up to 13 days. There are some forms of metabolites, though, that can be easily eliminated with half-life rates from 20 hours up to 10 to 13 days usually stored in the fat tissues of the body.

Factors that affect how long marijuana stays in the body are the frequency and the amount of the illicit drug used as well as the length of time that a user has been consuming weed. If a pot smoker takes the drug on a daily basis, he can test positive for up to 45 days since the last date of use; heavy smoking of marijuana could render a user to test positive for up to 90 days after the last use.

False positive test results for marijuana testing are surprisingly rare unlike other common drugs. There isn’t any known substance that could trigger a positive result for marijuana especially for urine testing.

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Drug Testing for Surfing Professionals Implemented

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Testing on January 16th, 2012

Surfing is set to make a big step to address controversies that hounded the sport and its athletes with regards to drugs use. The international body governing the event of surfing will be implementing a comprehensive drug testing for all their professional athletes for the first time.

Surfing champion Andy IronsThis year, the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) will introduce their own policy in the screening of professional surfers and officials involved in the sport for performance-enhancing drugs and recreational drugs.

In November 2010, the sport took the world’s spotlight when its triple world champion Andy Irons suddenly died from heart attack due to “acute mixed drug ingestion.” Autopsy reports showed that the world class surfer had traces of methamphetamine, methadone, and a metabolite of cocaine in his bloodstream.

Spokesman for the ASP Dave Prodan confirmed that the drug testing policy is part of their plan in enhancing professionalism in the sport. ”This motion has the full support of the surfers on tour as they want to be taken more professionally, and believe this is a step in the right direction.”

In the sport, professional surfers get to compete for prize money of up to $100,000. This is why some events in Europe have already implemented drug testing for all competitors.

Professional surfer Gerry Fitzgerald shares his opinion on drugs within his sport. “I have seen guys who are stoners and they drop off the scene because it is not sustainable. Athletes are training hard. The way the contests are now, it will catch up with you.”

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Local High School Implements Drug Testing for the First Time

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Testing on January 6th, 2012

Within the next month, students from Snyder High School will be subjected to random drug testing. It will be the first time in the school’s history, and the drug tests will be done on students of grades 7 through 12.

Similar to other schools’ drug testing policies, students involved in extra-curricular activities, be it in sports or in academics, will be prioritized for the procedure.

Robert Trammell, Snyder School Superintendent, claimed that drug problems have been rampant among the students in the last six months and the implementation of the random drug testing policy is to ensure the safety and well-being of the kids under their jurisdiction. It’s a strong message that the school will not tolerate drug abuse and the use of performance-enhancing drugs in any competition.

The drug testing process will be done on a monthly basis which will cost the school approximately $3,500 every school year. Trammel also added that they will be testing only a small group every period from the 225 total student population from grades 7 to 12.

Students of Snyder High have positive views on the policy. Student Andrew Anderson said “It’s a good thing we have this implemented drug testing.  Even though it’s not getting turned into the cops, we’re going to catch it before it gets super bad.”

Trammel also shared what will happen to students who will turn out positive in the test. For the first offense, a parent-teacher conference will be scheduled to discuss the result and another test will be done on the student within the next 15 days. On the second offense, the student will be required to undergo 4 hours of counseling and a 14-day suspension. On the third time a student tests positive, he will be completely taken out from the extra-curricular program he is in.

“We’re trying to do our part in our community. Get awareness at a young age. Get awareness into the home.  And hopefully improve the quality of education in life in general,” said Trammell.

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Parents Dealing with Child’s Drug Abuse

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing on January 5th, 2012

Statistics on drug abuse in the year 2011 proves to be very alarming especially for parents. For the fourth straight year, marijuana use among high school seniors increased. In the same student population, 50% of them admitted to using illicit drugs at some point in their young lives while 40% of them are already into one or more types of drug abuse in the past year alone.

child drug abuseUnfortunately, not all drug abuse cases get the necessary treatment or therapy. More than 23 million people in America are hooked on drug and alcohol use, yet only 2.6 million receive the help that they need to sober up again.

When this problem occurs in the family especially on kids, parents should be ready and equip themselves to be able to deal with the situation. When parents suspect their child is into drug use, it’s best to have him immediately tested. Parents can purchase drug testing kits for their children or acquire the services of professionals in doing the process.

Kids are not the only ones who need help with drug problems. Parents too need the proper information and support to better handle their kids’ problems. The more parents learn about the condition of their kids, the more they are able to help them get better. There are many organizations that offer their services to help parents in complicated situations.

It is necessary to have the parent-child talk, but it should be done at the right time and place. Do not attempt to talk to kids when they are under the influence or when there are other people that could hear your conversation. Yet it is important that the talk should be made at the soonest possible time before things get worse.

Parents should never let shame or fear get in the way of helping their child. After all, there are other families who experience the same problem and resolving the problem is much more important than keeping family reputation.

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Parent Disagrees to Drug Testing Plans of School District

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Testing on December 22nd, 2011

After reports of alleged drug use at Warrenton High School, the discipline committee of the Warren County R-III School District is still at odds on whether random drug testing should be implemented in the area. But for parent Jill Beedy, drug testing should not be done in schools. It should be something done by the police and not by the school district.

drug free zoneWhile there were some parents who favored the policy during last November’s school community meeting, Breedy is strongly against it. The concerned parent said that what she saw during the presentation was not focused on keeping kids away from drugs, but instead was scaring the students. “We’re talking about striking fear into our students and we shouldn’t be doing that,” she said.

School District Superintendent Dr. Tom Muzzey admits there is still much to be discussed before the board comes out with a decision on drug testing matters. While he acknowledges Breedy’s effort to voice out the concerns of parents on the issue, he has a different perception when it comes to the school district’s role in implementing random drug testing. “I think the district has the responsibility to make sure the practices and policies are reflective of community norms and values,” Muzzey stated.

A question raised by Breezy pertains to how the board can ensure that the testing will be done randomly, if implementation is approved. “How exactly does the school district pick who gets tested? How is the R-III district not held liable for who they choose to test?”

Muzzey answers that the board will be acquiring the services of a private firm to keep the process at random or they could opt to use a software program for the procedure.

The superintendent also assured the community that they are open to the opinions of parents and the community as a whole with regards to the implementation of the random drug testing before everything will be finalized.

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