Drug News You Can Use

This Is Your Office on Drugs

In FINS’ informal Sign or Decline question forum, 31% of 573 respondents said they’d sign for their dream job if there was peer pressure at the firm to do drugs, while 69% said they’d turn down the offer.

Those who would be willing to work in a drug-infested office are “naive about what it is they are stepping into,” said Robert Curry, founder of Connecticut-based residential addiction treatment center Turning Point for Leaders.

According to research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, drug use at work can lead to an increased occurrence of accidents and injuries on the job, higher rates of absenteeism, lower productivity levels, and diminished employee morale.

These effects are not exclusive to the drug addict alone, however — they also impact the non-abusers who work with them, said SAMHSA. More than 10% of full-time employed adults are dependent on drugs and/or alcohol, according to research from SAMHSA.

Woman Sold Drugs at Work

Dedham Police arrested 42-year-old Theresa Foley, of Stoughton, Friday afternoon for allegedly selling drugs in the parking lot of Dedham Medical, where she worked.

Foley was seen by drug enforcement officers selling drugs to as many as six people during her lunch hour, Walsh said.

Meth lab problem grows as cleanup money runs dry

Sheriffs statewide have been scrambling to pay for meth lab cleanups since federal funding evaporated, shifting the burden to county taxpayers, even as a new method of making the drug fuels a boom in the number of labs authorities are finding.

Meth labs leave behind hazardous waste that costs thousands of dollars to clean up. Sheriffs have been dipping into contingency funds and forfeited drug money to pay the bills since the Drug Enforcement Administration said in February it could no longer pick up the tab.
Deputies said they are still taking down meth labs, but some warn that the lack of funding leaves authorities with hard choices and little incentive to aggressively pursue meth cooks.

Internet tied to growth in U.S. prescription drug abuse

Access to rogue online pharmacies may be driving a rapid increase in the abuse of prescription drugs like powerful painkillers Percocet and Oxycontin, a new study shows.

“Our findings suggest that Internet growth may partly explain the increase in prescription drug abuse, since it is well known that these drugs are easily available online,” said Dana Goldman, director of the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the University of Souther California. Prescription drugs are fast replacing illegal substances in venues like college campuses, Goldman said.

Goldman and Anupam Jena, of the MGH Department of Medicine, note that the recent marked rise in the abuse of prescription narcotic painkillers corresponds with an increase in the presence of online pharmacies. Drugs that are frequently abused — painkillers, sedatives, stimulants, and tranquilizers — often can be purchased from rogue sites located outside the United States.

Psychemedics Announces First Quarter Results – Highest in Company’s History

Psychemedics Corporation (NASDAQ:PMD) announced first quarter financial results for the period ended March 31, 2011.

Raymond C. Kubacki, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are very pleased to report significant growth in revenues and profits in the first quarter over last year’s first quarter results. The revenue was the highest of any first quarter in the Company’s history. New business was a significant factor, as well as increased volume from existing customers. Our margins continued strong as we achieved a 25% pre-tax profit margin in the first quarter of 2011 versus 19% for the comparable period in 2010. We remain confident about our future prospects.”