Counterfeit pills threat leads DEA to issue alert

DEA Alerts Public To Counterfeit Pill Threat Rising Supply and Rising Death Rate prompt a rare alert We are forwarding this alert regarding fentanyl because counterfeit pills-like counterfeit oxycodone pills made from it are the most urgent drug threat in the workplace today.  In fact, the data we collect suggests that we may already be ... Read more

CDC Estimates 93,000 drug overdose deaths in 2020

CDC Estimates 93,000 drug overdose deaths in 2020 "Drug overdose deaths 2020" may sound glib. However, CDC data makes it official that 2020 eclipsed all previous records. As the Commonwealth Fund reports, with 93,331 dead the year was bad by any measure. Not surprisingly this comes on the heels of records in the two years ... Read more

Expect New Substance Abuse Challenges At Work

Expect New Substance Abuse Challenges At Work The attached article from the Chicago Tribune highlights a workplace challenge that has not gone away during the COVID pandemic; in fact it has worsened. With the CDC reporting increases in substance abuse and 93,000 drug deaths, you should expect that some workers may return with new or ... Read more

Fentanyl Epidemic? 2021 could be the start.

Fentanyl epidemic?  Probably. 2020 overdose deaths give a clue. Is a fentanyl epidemic taking shape? An article from this week's New York Times paints an excellent picture of how quickly the drug ravages a community. Fentanyl deaths and overdoses are on the rise. The message is clear that fentanyl is the dominant drug threat for ... Read more

COVID Border Closures Thwart Drug raffickers.

COVID Border Closures Thwart Drug Traffickers. As in other businesses, drug traffickers have had to adapt their games to survive when COVID-19 impacted their normal means of supplying America's substance abusers. Unlike other businesses, they have been completely free of governance, able to make their own rules, and turn on a dime as conditions change. ... Read more

Safety Has No Secrets: Psychemedics Overview

Prologue to "In Safety There Are No Secrets":  How hair testing works. In this 10-minute video, Psychemedics Executive Vice President Charlie Doucot explains the Science behind hair testing used by our three "Safety Has No Secrets" panelists. In this video, you'll learn how it works, why it is the most simple and sanitary drug test ... Read more

The Opioid Crisis Is Turning Into A Cocaine Crisis

Deaths from cocaine, after holding steady for many years, increased an alarming 52% between 2015 and 2016, according to the CDC, with the trend continuing in the most recent federal data. The stimulant is now killing approximately 13,000 people a year, on track to rival painkiller pills and heroin. Although researchers don’t fully understand why … Read more