Kronic Test: Available from Drug Test Australia

Drug Test Australia now stocks testing kits for Synthetic Marijuana (Kronic).

This drug is widely used now in Australia by employees from all industries and sectors, with reports of growing popularity in the mining and fabrication sectors.

Employees use this drug in place of marijuana because it is widely believed to be 'non-detectable' in drug tests. Urine or Saliva.

This was true, until now.

Introducing the K2 Spice Test, a single dip cassette test, for use in urine testing that will detect synthetic Cannabinoids in human urine. These tests can be used on their own, or in conjunction with conventional urine test to effectively screen your workforce!

For more information, please contact us;
Website: www.drugtestaustralia.com.au
Phone: 1300 660 636
Email: sales@drugtestaustralia.com.au

Drug testing pits privacy against safety

Posted by Drug Test Australia

Drug testing pits privacy against safety; 

Judges to hear Suncor arguments

Original By Amanda Stephenson, Calgary Herald November 24, 2012 http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Drug+testing+pits+privacy+against+safety/7605165/story.html#ixzz2DOosEK6t

A lab technician tests samples for drugs.

A three-judge Alberta Court of Appeal panel will next week hear from Suncor Energy Inc. as the oilsands giant argues against an injunction blocking its proposed random employee drug testing program.

Next month, the Supreme Court of Canada will hear the case of Irving Pulp and Paper, a New Brunswick company whose plan to have its employees submit to mandatory breathalyzer tests has been fought tooth and nail by the same union that represents Suncor workers.

Both cases will be watched closely by employers, safety companies and privacy experts, as the courts try to find a balance between safety on the job and an individual's right to privacy.

Unlike the United States, where workplace drug tests are relatively common, Canada has had little experience with randomly administered on-the-job tests. But that could be about to change.

"Employers have to take action. They're responsible for maintaining a safe work environment," says Pat Atkins, administrator of Alberta's Drug and Alcohol Risk Reduction Pilot Project (DARRPP). "There are problems in the oilsands related to alcohol and drugs ... and we think it would be irresponsible for organizations not to take action, given the concerns they're seeing."
Those concerns range from drug paraphernalia found on work sites to workplace accidents caused by drunk or stoned employees.

Suncor has stated three of the seven deaths that have occurred at its Fort McMurray oilsands operation since 2000 involved workers under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
"Every day that passes, the risk increases," Suncor lawyer Tom Wakeling told the Alberta Court of Appeal last month. "The Suncor workplace is inherently a dangerous space.

The consequences of mistakes in this hazardous environment may include catastrophes."
Most oilsands companies already have some form of drug-testing policy in place - in most cases, testing occurs after an accident takes place, or if an employee exhibits behaviour that provides "just cause." In some cases, employees must pass a drug test before being hired for a certain position or before being contracted to work on a certain job site.

DARRPP is different. The two-year pilot project, led by a working group of oilsands industry employers and labour providers, aims to introduce completely random drug testing in "safety sensitive" positions at participating workplaces.

Organizers of the project point to U.S. data that indicates random testing is more likely to catch workplace drug and alcohol problems than incident-driven testing.

One of the first companies to get on board with DARRPP was Suncor, which announced in June its plan to implement mandatory random drug tests for safety sensitive employees at its oilsands facilities. However, before Suncor could implement its proposal, a grievance was filed by the Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers Union. The union, which represents 3,400 workers at the Suncor site, argued random drug testing violates its members' right to privacy.
"This is about the right to preserve their bodily integrity, quite frankly. Their privacy, their dignity," union lawyer Ritu Khullar told the appeals court last month.

Days earlier, a Court of Queen's Bench Judge issued an injunction, ruling Suncor cannot move ahead with its program until the union's grievance can be reviewed by a labour arbitration board. Suncor appealed, and that appeal is set to be heard on Wednesday.

The same union is also fighting Irving Pulp and Paper, the New Brunswick company that introduced a workplace safety policy in 2006 that included random alcohol testing for employees. That case will be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada in December.
Atkins said DARRPP is confident it is well within its legal rights.
"We believe we have designed the project in such a way to respect privacy and human rights," Atkins said.

Ed Secondiak, president of ECS Services - which has designed drug testing programs for large and small corporations for 18 years - says there are ways to ensure employees' rights are respected while still reducing the risk of on-the-job substance abuse.

Secondiak said when he designs a program, all drug test results are reviewed by a medical review officer. If a test comes back positive, the medical review officer will speak privately to the employee in question, and if he or she can provide a medical reason for why they might have a drug in their system, they are given an all-clear without their employer ever being informed of the original test results.

Test results are kept under lock and key with limited access, and are never shared with outside agencies without the employee's permission.

Secondiak says in most cases, when a person fails a test, he or she is sent for a substance abuse assessment. An addictions counsellor will decide whether the individual can come back to work, or needs more treatment. He said in many cases, being flagged by a workplace test is exactly the push some addicts need to get treatment and turn their lives around.
"I would say there's a high success rate when you're dealing with alcohol and marijuana in terms of being able to bring people back (to the job)," he says.

Dr. Charl Els, an addictions psychiatrist with the University of Alberta, agrees substance abuse in the workplace is a serious issue. Using U.S. statistics as a base - because there are no reliable Canadian statistics - he estimates that 8.3 per cent of full-time workers use illicit drugs.
"We likely are only seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of the visible cases of substance use and abuse," Els says. "It's well accepted that we underestimate the prevalence and the actual impact."

Els also believes the nature of the oilsands industry means workers there are more likely to use drugs.

"It's typically a young, male population, there's a lot of excess time when they don't work, there's a lot of disposable income and cash in the pocket. They're typically not with their families, they're isolated. So there's a number of factors that make people more prone to use," he says.

However, Els says random drug testing is the wrong approach. He says a typical urine test only detects the presence of a substance in a person's system - it can't detect whether the person is impaired. That means it cannot differentiate between a person who smoked marijuana 20 minutes earlier and is stoned on the job versus a person who smoked a joint at a weekend party three days ago.

"The vast majority of people who use cannabis instead of having a beer on Friday evening may well test positive on Monday morning, and without it remotely having any impact on workplace impairment or occupational risk," Els says. "What they will detect is a whole lot of normal, recreational users with no risk to the workplace. And that I view as an invasion of privacy."

Els adds there are a lot of workers and professionals other than oil sands employees who can be considered to be doing "safety specific" work, and they aren't being subjected to random drug tests.

"You can imagine the uproar if I suggested tomorrow we need to start testing all physicians for cannabis," he said. "By this logic, any individual operating a vehicle for work should not be able to do so unless they can test negative."

Els says he has no problem with post-accident or just cause workplace drug testing, it's the random testing he opposes. He says there simply isn't enough solid evidence that random drug testing reduces the rates of workplace accidents, adding he too will be watching the Suncor case and the Irving Pulp and Paper case with interest.

"I would be surprised if random testing will actually be cleared as acceptable and not in violation," he says.

Contact us;
Website; www.drugtestaustralia.com.au
Email; Sales@drugtestaustralia.com.au
Phone; 1300 660 636

Rise of Synthetic Drugs in Australia; Implications

Posted by Drug Test Australia

 

There has been recent media and government attention paid to the rise in the prevalence of use, sales and manufacture of Synthetic Drugs, such as Synthetic Marijuana (‘Kronic’ and like products) and Synthetic Stimulants (i.e. Synthetic Cocaine, Synthetic Amphetamines and Synthetic MDMA [Ecstasy]) among other harmful substances.

Of particular concern to employers in Australia, is that these types of drugs cannot be screened for in traditional drug tests; only by drug tests that specifically test for these substances.

European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, has released a report raising concerns over the great quantity of these substances available; with a total of 49 new psychoactive substances officially notified for the first time in 2011. Preliminary data shows over 50 new substances already detected for 2012. This is of concern to the Australian market, as these items can easily be purchased online and sent to Australia, from retailers residing overseas.

http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/news/2012/10

Queensland Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Jarrod Bleijie has proposed changes to the Drugs Misuse Act, that would include a plethora of synthetic drugs, with similar effects to presently illegal drugs to be made illegal.

http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2012/11/18/government-clamps-down-on-synthetic-drugs

The main issue faced is that drug ‘manufacturers’ aim to stay one step ahead of legislation and are constantly changing and developing the contents and make-up of these substances.

We must be vigilant and stay on top of this phenomenon, as impairment from these substances poses a significant safety risk in workplaces; effective testing is the only way to limit risk.

For more information, please see our blog articles below, or contact us about our synthetic marijuana testing kits.

http://drugtestaustraliablog.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/new-type-of-synthetic-cannabis-new-type.html

http://drugtestaustraliablog.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/synthetic-cannabis-frequently-asked.html

Contact us at Drug Test Australia
Website; www.drugtestaustralia.com.au
Email; Sales@drugtestaustralia.com.au
Phone; 1300 660 636

Legalizing marijuana created a rippling effect

Posted by Drug Test Australia
Original at http://www.gazette.com/articles/marijuana-147208-rippling-created.html


Medical marijuana is packaged for sale in 1-gram packages at the Northwest Patient Resource Center medical marijuana dispensary, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012, in Seattle. After voters weighed in on election day, Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow possession of up to 1 oz. of legal pot for recreational use, but they are likely to face resistance from federal regulations.

The famous — or infamous, depending on your point of view — ballot measure legalizing marijuana in Tuesday’s election is already sending ripples through Colorado’s medical marijuana community.

Some medical marijuana dispensaries are worried, some aren't. Some dispensaries supported the ballot measure, some didn't.

But one thing is for sure — they've all gotten a lot more attention since the ballot measure has made national news.

“One centre owner I know said somebody from Chicago called up and asked if they could send them a pound in the mail,” said Jeff Sveinsson, the owner of Cannabicare, a medical marijuana dispensary near Peterson Air Force Base.

Tanya Garduno, president of the Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council, said her phone “has been ringing off the hook” with calls from centers all over Colorado.

Center owners, she said, are being hassled by people from not just Colorado Springs but by people from Durango, Pueblo, Denver and in other towns who want to buy pot.

“It’s pretty hilarious when I get those problems,” Garduno said. “Every centre has been swamped with calls, ‘Can I buy now?’ ‘No, you can’t.’ ”

Amendment 64, which Colorado voters approved Tuesday by a 55 percent margin, will allow individuals older than 21 to possess as much as an ounce of marijuana and grow as many as six marijuana plants. It will also allow retail marijuana stores to open in January 2014, after the Legislature enacts industry regulations.

Many people around the country haven’t read the fine print, though. Personal possession will only become legal after the governor proclaims the amendment part of the state Constitution, which may not happen until the governor’s deadline, Jan. 5.

That isn't just an annoyance, Sveinsson said. It points to a serious flaw in the amendment — the measure doesn’t specify whether only Colorado residents can buy recreational marijuana.

“We’ve had people calling our store all week long who are from out of state, who are going on road trips and want to buy marijuana from us,” Sveinsson said.

“We’re going to be (angering) Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois, you name it.”

Sveinsson is only one of dozens of medical marijuana stakeholders around Colorado Springs, though, and plenty of others have no problem with the amendment.

Gina Akeo, the manager of the medical marijuana center Natural Leaf, said she voted for it because of the criminal repercussions.

“If you’re going to legalize alcohol, which kills thousands of people a year, and not legalize something that’s never harmed anyone, that’s counter-productive,” Akeo said. “The feds shouldn't be wasting time on people that are committing minor crimes like having less than an ounce of pot.”

Akeo said that plenty of her patients also voted for Amendment 64 for the same reason.

But they, and Akeo, still have reservations.

“It’s also a medical thing, and to make it recreational kind of defeats the purpose. It’s kind of a Catch-22,” Akeo said. “A lot of patients don’t want people with minor amounts incarcerated, but they also don’t want their medical to be interfered with.”

For those reasons and more, Garduno said, the Medical Cannabis Council planned a meeting to discuss the issue. The council has more than 60 members, she said, including dispensary owners, employees, patients and doctors.

“Most of the folks are kind of split down the centre. Half of them say they’re in favour of going legal, and half want to stay patient-based,” Garduno said.

And some are furious, like Sveinsson.

“We’re going to become the Amsterdam of the United States,” he said. “I can guarantee that (buyers) will be offloading it onto the streets and sending it out of state.”

Some dispensaries will probably be interested in selling both recreational marijuana and medical, Garduno said, because they’ve already set up shop and could make more profits if they add to their clientele.

That depends largely on what kind of rules the Legislature puts out, Akeo said. Her shop hasn’t even considered yet whether or not it may sell recreational marijuana, because they wouldn’t have to apply for a license until 2014.

“We knew we’d better hurry up and wait, just like we did with medical. It’s like, what’s going to happen now?” Garduno said.

Medical marijuana, Garduno and Akeo pointed out, was approved by Colorado voters in 2000, but regulations are still being handed down by the state. Centres have had to relocate, update security systems, and more. Regulations for recreational stores could take longer and be even more stringent.

Other stakeholders in the industry are also talking about what may happen if the federal government decides to prosecute stores that begin selling recreational marijuana. Marijuana may be legal in Colorado, but remains banned under federal law.

The federal government has shut down medical marijuana dispensaries in other states, like California, and some warn that the same thing could happen here if Amendment 64 leads to federal intervention.

WHEN LEGAL?

Personal possession of marijuana will only become legal after Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper proclaims the amendment part of the state Constitution, which might not happen until the governor's deadline, Jan. 5, 2013.

A medical marijuana plant is shown at the Northwest Patient Resource Center medical marijuana dispensary, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012, in Seattle. After voters weighed in on election day, Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow legal pot for recreational use, but they are likely to face resistance from federal regulations. 
Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/marijuana-147208-rippling-created.html#ixzz2C403sLJV

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Marijuana Laws: Growing Outcry in South America

Posted by Drug Test Australia; www.drugtestaustralia.com.au/
Origanail at; http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/11/12/marijuana-laws-growing-outcry-in-latin-america-over-colorado-washington-votes/

The votes in Colorado and Washington to legalize recreational marijuana continue to make waves south of the border.

Three Central American countries are joining Mexico in calling for the Organization of American States to study the effect of the pot votes – considering it could impact their efforts to fight drugs.

Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Costa Rica say the United Nations' General Assembly should hold a special session on the prohibition of drugs by 2015 at the latest.

"It has become necessary to analyze in depth the implications for public policy and health in our nations emerging from the state and local moves to allow the legal production, consumption and distribution of marijuana in some countries of our continent," Mexican President Felipe Calderón said after a meeting with Honduran President Porfirio Lobo, Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla and Prime Minister Dean Barrow of Belize.

It has become necessary to analyze in depth the implications for public policy and health in our nations emerging from the state and local moves to allow the legal production, consumption and distribution of marijuana in some countries of our continent

- Mexican President Felipe Calderon

Marijuana legalization by U.S. state governments is "a paradigm change on the part of those entities in respect to the current international system," Calderón said.

The most influential adviser to Mexico's next president, who takes office Dec. 1, questioned last week how the country will enforce a ban on growing and smuggling a drug now legal under some state laws. Mexico has seen tens of thousands of people killed over the last six years as part of a militarized government attempt to destroy the country's drug cartels.

President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto has promised to shift the government's focus to preventing violence against ordinary citizens, although he says he intends to keep battling cartels and is opposed to drug legalization. Guatemala's president has advocated the international legalization of drugs.

Mexico is one of the primary suppliers of marijuana to the U.S., while Honduras and Belize are important stops on the northward passage of cocaine from South America. Costa Rica is seeing increasing use of its territory by drug traffickers.

Luis Videgaray, head of Peña Nieto's transition team, told Radio Formula on Wednesday that the votes in the two states complicate his country's commitment to quashing the growing and smuggling of marijuana.

"Obviously we can't handle a product that is illegal in Mexico, trying to stop its transfer to the United States, when in the United States, at least in part of the United States, it now has a different status," Videgaray said.

Videgaray stopped short of threatening to curtail Mexican enforcement of marijuana laws, but his comments appeared likely to increase pressure on the Obama administration to strictly enforce  U.S. federal law, which still forbids recreational pot use.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/11/12/marijuana-laws-growing-outcry-in-latin-america-over-colorado-washington-votes/#ixzz2C3xRtHac

Contact us at Drug Test Australia
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Email; Sales@drugtestaustralia.com.au
Phone; 1300 660 636