Drug Testing Bill for Welfare Recipients Withdrawn

Posted by Drug Free in Other Addictions on January 30th, 2012

Representative Jud McMillin (R-Brookeville), who sponsored the welfare drug testing policy in Indiana, has decided to withdraw the bill.

Indiana General AssemblyAccording to McMillin, his democratic colleagues in the Indiana General Assembly revised the original bill on welfare recipients’ drug testing to include provisions which extend the said drug testing to lawmakers.

McMillin added that unlike other bills of the same subject, his own creation has been carefully put together to pass even the complications brought about by Constitutional provisions.

Last year, Republican lawmakers have tried to have drug testing policies for those who receive assistance from the government in over 30 states. Some bills even include those who claim for unemployment insurance and food stamps as candidates for drug testing.

However, some of McMillin’s colleagues said that his withdrawal is not a good move. “After it passed, Rep. McMillin got pretty upset and pulled his bill,” Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D- South Bend) said. “If anything, I think it points out some of the hypocrisy. … If we’re going to impose standards on drug testing, then it should apply to everybody who receives government money.”

Dvorak added that testing of lawmakers is not unconstitutional, as how MCMillin perceives it, since the Georgia rule which McMillin cited, is against drug testing only to candidates and not those who are already elected and holding office.

“I would think legislators that are here who are responsible for the people who voted them in, they should be more than happy to consent,” Dvorak said. “Give me the cup right now and I will be happy to take the test.”

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Rise of Prescription Drugs and Marijuana Abuse in Charlevoix County

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction, Marijuana Use and Abuse, Prescription Drug Abuse on January 30th, 2012

The Bay Area Substance Education Services (BASES) Inc. in Charlevoix warned residents that local prescription drug abuse and marijuana use are on the rise, according to BASES executive director D. Scott Kelly.

Findings from Kelly’s program called “Drug Use Trends in Charlevoix County” have shown that more high school students are engaging in marijuana use than cigarettes smoking. Partly due to medical marijuana laws, kids’ perception on the dangers of marijuana has decreased. In 2008, Michigan approved its medical marijuana program and is now one of the 16 states which have adopted such policy.

marijuanaAnother contributing factor to the increase in prescription drug abuse and marijuana use is the availability of such substances online. Prescribed medications and synthetic cannabinoids such as K2 and Spice are readily available for purchase online.

“We had a kid come in, saying he could buy some ‘stuff’ online for $50, and then ‘flip’ it for $700,” Kelly recalled. “Synthetics create all kinds of legal, political and health issues.”

The program, which was initiated by the BASES executive director, aimed to help parents and concerned citizens understand the trends that kids get into as far as prescription drugs and marijuana abuse are concerned. They were also taught about the dangers of addiction that could lead to psychological problems and the treatments that can help those who become victims of abuse.

Kelly, who is one of the co-founders of BASES, also suffered from alcohol addiction during his college years. He has remained sober since 1984 after enlisting in an alcoholism treatment program. Today, he is one of the resource persons of their program and is currently working on his master’s degree in counseling. He also works as a relapse prevention specialist and as an advanced addiction counselor for their organization.

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Bill Proposes Drug Testing of Florida State Employees

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Testing on January 29th, 2012

A bill will require Florida state employees to undergo random drug testing is currently advancing through the Legislature. The drug testing bill is something that Florida Gov. Rick Scott has tried to impose since his inauguration.

drug free workplaceBased on information from Sen. Alan Hays (R-Umatilla), sponsor of Senate bill SB 1358, while state employees are just as at risk for drug abuse as the rest of the population, having them undergo testing will help those employees who need assistance overcome their personal struggle with drug abuse. Hays said: “It’s about protecting the state employees and the public.”

Sen. Jim Norman (R-Tampa), on the other hand, shared that everyone – including top administrators – should be open to undergoing random drug testing. He recalled his own experience, sharing: “When I became a county commissioner they had it in place in our county and when commissioners were elected our first action was to go down and be tested and I had no problem with that.”

In addition, Rep. Jimmie Smith (R-Inverness), sponsor of HB 1205, said that the bill is an effort towards changing society’s acceptance of drug use. He said: “The first drug-free workplace should be the one that taxpayers pay for.”

The ACLU of Florida, however, pointed out that government-mandated drug tests without suspicion or special safety considerations have been found to be in violation of the Fourth Amendment by the courts. Derek Newton, ACLU of Florida communications director, said: “Just three months ago, in an ACLU lawsuit, a federal judge ordered the state to stop enforcing last year’s law requiring Floridians applying for temporary assistance to submit to the humiliating government tests… And when the ACLU of Florida challenged Governor Scott’s executive order mandating random drug tests for state employees in court, he retreated, ordering most agencies to stop the unconstitutional program.”

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Springfield Police Offers Vouchers for Home Drug Testing Kits

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Testing on January 28th, 2012

The Springfield Police Department in Missouri is providing parents with a way to determine whether their child is using illegal drugs or not.

Springfield police is offering vouchers for home drug testing kits, which have the ability to detect the presence of 10 illegal drugs, including marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine, in urine.

The organization TestMyTeen.com donated $5,000 worth of free testing kits, as part of its partnership with the Missouri Police Chiefs Association.

Cpl. Matt Brown, spokesman for the police department, shared: “Most parents truly believe that their kids would never do anything like that, but we in law enforcement see the other side… We interact everyday with teens who are taking drugs and their parents don’t know.”

Parents can use the drug testing kits to find out whether their teens are indeed using drugs, after observing that they seem to be exhibiting signs of drug abuse. In addition, the knowledge that parents will subject them to drug testing may discourage teens from giving in to peers who may be urging them to experiment with illegal substances.

The concept of using the threat of parental drug testing as a deterrent for teens against experimenting with drugs was supported by three teens who were interviewed by News-Leader. All the teens have been subjected to random drug testing prior to being allowed to participate in special academic and career programs.

The teens – Justin Whitley, Victoria Simpson, and Tabitha Crews – agreed, however, that parents should only turn to drug testing if they suspect that their teen is using drugs and all other steps to prevent the teen from doing so have failed.

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Most Schools Do Not Drug Test Teachers

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Testing on January 28th, 2012

A recent survey was done from among the 14 district schools in central Wisconsin revealed that only three schools implement random or scheduled drug tests for newly hired employees to determine if they had drug encounters prior to their employment in their school.

teacherFrom the 5900 employed staff in 14 school districts, only 2325 underwent drug testing and passed before they were completely hired.

The issue of drug testing for school staff became controversial when several Antigo and Merrill school district employees were suspended last week after admitting to the Langlade County Sheriff’s Department that they engaged in marijuana use and selling in the recent months based on the court documents that were made available to the media.

D.C. Everest Area School District human resource director Kim Hall says that passing a drug test has become a very important factor when they offer jobs to prospective employees. “A drug screen can tell a lot about a candidate. We want good staff.”

On the other hand, Antigo school district does not require pre-hire drug tests. Only employees who are suspected or appear to be under the influence will be subjected to drug testing. Failing the test means an employee can be immediately fired from the job.

When other school districts were asked why they do not have a drug testing policy for employees, authorities said they did not see the need for such policy as they have never experienced having employees linked to any drugs issues.

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Online Survey on Teen Drugs and Alcohol Use

Posted by Drug Free in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Testing on January 27th, 2012

After the January19 Town Hall meeting at Poway, organizers of the event are now gathering feedback from an online survey on teen drug abuse and alcohol abuse.

teen drug abuseAs of Tuesday, there were 134 respondents to the survey which can be accessed at www.powaytownhall.com yielding results that suggest the need for the implementation of random drug testing among athletes, more effective crackdown on “party buses” which transport teens, and transparency on drug-related issues in school campuses.

According to Steve Vaus who initiated the community forum, respondents were given the following choices in answering questions to the online survey: absolutely, possibly, undecided, and no way. Comments were also welcomed along with their answers.

It was no surprise that 90% of those who took the survey favored drug testing for school athletes, 67% saying “absolutely” and 23% said “possibly.”

There were also 86% who said that they wanted to be informed about drug or alcohol offenses on campus, 75% saying “absolutely” and 11% choosing “possibly.”

With regards to “party buses,” 82% said they wanted to have a total ban on such vehicles that transport teens to events which often carry drugs and liquor too.

Interesting comments gathered from the online survey include one participant stating parents should stop allowing their kids to use their credit cards to reserve party buses. Others also added that they have not heard of reports of student arrests or anything about substance abuse from campuses.

Comments like “when kids get caught, don’t sweep it under the rug,” and “withhold names, but publish everything about arrests and anything/everything that has to do with substance abuse,” and “how about parents stop letting their kids use their credit cards to reserve party buses. Parents, step up and get tough,” only prove that people are concerned about issues affecting the youth.

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