Criminal Records Abound for Owners of Colorado Medical-Marijuana Centers

More than half the owners of medical-marijuana centers in Colorado have criminal arrest or conviction records for crimes such as dealing drugs, sexual assault, burglary, and weapons violations, according to statistics developed by the Drug Enforcement Administration and obtained by 9News. https://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_15627263

Concerns Grow Over Drug Abuse Among Older Adults

Studies have shown an increase of 5.1 percent in marijuana use by adults ages 55 to 59 from 2002 to 2008. Tri-County’s older adult care services work with patients 65 and older and are expecting increases in the drug’s use by the aging baby boomer population. Older adults have cited using the drug for medicinal … Read more

Move to Restrict Pain Killers Puts Onus on Doctors

Experts in pain treatment and drug abuse prevention say the growing use of long-acting pain killers like OxyContin, fentanyl and methadone has been a crucial factor in a nationwide epidemic of overdose deaths, largely from the abuse of such drugs. In an unusual move, a state government is developing regulations meant to stop doctors from … Read more

‘Purple drank’: latest drug of bad choice

Codeine and promethazine are found in cough syrup. Take a liberal amount of that syrup, add soda, maybe a Jolly Rancher candy, and the concoction becomes “purple drank,” “lean,” “sizzurp,” “oil” or “Houston drank,” yielding a mellow, almost content state of being, sometimes to the point of disassociation. https://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/7124436.html

Reasons Employers Should Do Random Drug Testing on Employees

Many businesses have added random drug testing to their agenda today. They want to make sure that their employees are above board when they come to work each day. Most businesses will do pre-employment drug testing to make sure that the potential employee is “clean”. After that initial drug test, no more testing is done … Read more

Texas Lawmakers Enlisted in Drug War

The prescription drug plague that has turned Houston into a center for “doctor-shopping” rings, rogue cash-only clinics, and accidental overdose deaths is now threatening the entire state, according to an intelligence report to be released today by local and federal drug enforcement officials. https://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7117101.html

Psychemedics Corporation Announces Sales and Marketing Agreement with LGC in UK

Psychemedics Corporation (NASDAQ: PMD) today announced that it has signed a sales and marketing agreement with LGC of the UK, an international science-based company and market leader in analytical, forensic and diagnostic services and reference standards, to market the patented Psychemedics hair analysis drug test in the UK and Europe. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/psychemedics-corporation-announces-sales-and-marketing-agreement-with-lgc-in-uk-98407569.html

Prescription Drug Abuse Surged 400 Percent In Past Decade

A new White House study found a 400 percent jump in prescription drug abuse between 1998 and 2008. Experts blame a lack of monitoring programs as well as Americans’ increasing unwillingness to bear even small pains. The report underscores the need for regulation amid a culture that has become increasingly reliant on ever-more-powerful and addictive … Read more

Drug-Testing Reduces Students’ Drug Use, Study Says

Students involved in extracurricular activities and subject to in-school random drug testing reported less substance use than their peers in high schools that didn’t have drug-testing programs, according a federal evaluation of 4,700 students spread across seven states. The study was funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, a branch of the U.S. Department of Education, and … Read more