OHS Health & Safety Services, Inc.

AFTER RECORD YEAR FOR FATAL OVERDOSES, NEW YORK CITY TARGETS OPIOIDS. The city will spend $38 million annually to combat an opioid epidemic that killed more than 1,000 New Yorkers last year By ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, WSJ Updated March 13, 2017 9:44 p.m. ET...Continue reading

U.S. SUPREME COURT REQUIRES WARRANTS FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL DRUNK-DRIVING TESTS By Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post In June of 2016, the Supreme Court said that police must obtain a warrant before requiring a suspected drunk driver to submit to a "blood alcohol" test. Not so, however, for a "breath alcohol" test....Continue reading

By Washington Post Editorial Board December 11, 2016 THE GREAT U.S.A. OPIOID EPIDEMIC- YES, IT'S NATIONWIDE! AN ALL-TIME RECORD 52,404 AMERICANS DIED FROM DRUG OVERDOSES IN 2015, according to the latest data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Once rare, these avoidable deaths are NOW MORE COMMON than auto-accident fatalities or gun-inflicted homicides and suicides....Continue reading

ILLUSTRATION BY ELLEN WEINSTEIN HOW TO TREAT AN OPIOID EPIDEMIC- AND THERE VERY DEFINITELY IS ONE...NATIONWIDE! Addiction isn’t an illness like any other. Patients need not just the right medicines but therapy, support and, in some cases, tough supervision...Continue reading

DRUG ADDICT CREATES UNIQUE ONLINE SITE TO HELP OTHERS By Leila Miller, Miami-Herald The day after Peter Hamilton overdosed on opiates, life seemed normal.I almost died, and the next day it was like nothing happened, he said....Continue reading

BUZZ-WORDS OF THIS VERY SPECIAL DAY: "INDEPENDENCE", "FREEDOM", and "CHOICES"! PLEASE, PROUDLY DISPLAY YOUR AMERICAN FLAG TO SHOW YOUR GRATITUDE FOR AND APPRECIATION OF THESE USA PRIVILEGES WE'VE ENJOYED SINCE JULY 4, 1776!

ILLICIT DRUG TEST POSITIVITY RATE INCREASES

Drug Testing Index: ILLICIT DRUG TEST POSITIVITY RATE INCREASES by Nicole Cole Jupe on June 3, 2015 The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index (DTI) reveals insights into patterns of drug use among the American workforce. Published annually for more than 25 years, the Drug Testing Index examines positivity rates for workplace drug tests. Quest reports these findings as a public service for government, employers, policymakers and the general public.... In examining the latest data, Dr. Barry Sample, Director of Science and Technology at Quest Diagnostics, noted the following significant findings from more than 10 million workplace drug test results. The percentage of American workers testing positive for illicit drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine has increased for the second consecutive year in the general U.S. workforce. According to urine drug test data and unlike 2013 data, marijuana positivity increased at about the same rate in Colorado and Washington, states with recreational marijuana-use laws, as the rest of the United States in 2014. The DTI analysis showed increases in workplace positivity for cocaine in the general U.S. workforce over the past two years, reversing a prolonged period of decline. Continuing a multi-year upward trend, amphetamines positivity specifically the use of methamphetamine showed a steady increase across both urine and oral fluid drug tests. The positivity rate for 6-acetylmorphine, or 6-AM, a specific marker for heroin, doubled in the general U.S. workforce between 2011 and 2014. Media coverage for the DTI includes The Wall Street Journal, Human Resources Executive, Risk Management Monitor, MarketWatch, Drugfree.org, Medical News Today, Health Central, Executive Risk Network, Kaiser Health News, Cincinnati.com, Fits News, Mobile Medical Corporation, BioSpace and Zero Hedge. We support workplace drug testing programs for their ability to promote safer, healthier and more productive work environments.

THE COLORADO SUPREME COURT RULED MONDAY THAT EMPLOYERS LAWFULLY CAN FIRE WORKERS FOR USING MARIJUANA WHEN THEY'RE NOT ON THE JOB...EVEN THOUGH THE DRUG IS LEGAL IN THE STATE. PICTURED: BRANDON COATS, DISABLED AND A MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD HOLDER, FIRED FOR TESTING POSITIVE FOR THC AT WORK. Photo by Kathryn Scott Osler/Photo Pool...Continue reading

The Morning Risk Report: "EMPLOYERS SCORE BIG WIN IN COLORADO POT CASE" By BEN DIPIETRO... The decision by the Colorado Supreme Court in favor of an employer who fired a quadriplegic employee for his use of medically prescribed marijuana is a victory for employers, but it also highlights the continuing tension between the discrepancies of state and federal law on marijuana. In Monday’s decision, the court ruled Dish Network DISH +0.43% had the right to fire Brandon Coats, even though he had a state-issued medical marijuana license and only used the drug when he wasn’t working. I think most people prior to Coats understood that marijuana is still illegal under federal law and that the people who use it take some risks, said Sam Kamin, the Vicente Sederberg professor of marijuana law and policy at the University of Denver. What Coats made clear is that as long as marijuana is illegal under federal law employers can take steps to prevent its use. Timothy Van Dyck, a partner at law firm Bowditch & Dewey, said the decision strengthens the right of employers in all states to terminate employment for any and all marijuana use, regardless of the legality of marijuana use in that state. That means it’s important for companies to explicitly spell out in their policies what is allowed and not allowed. When representing employers I always want to make sure that whatever policies my clients provide to employees, that it is important those policies be crystal-clear. If those policies state that we have zero tolerance for marijuana use, that should be sufficient, he said. Both men said that, as the court’s ruling was based on its determination of the definition of lawful in the statute legalizing marijuana in Colorado, it’s up to state lawmakers to revise the law to more precisely spell out what they meant if they’re unhappy with the court’s interpretation. I think this is an issue for the legislature more than the courts, said Mr. Van Dyck. The legislature needs to clarify what it means. Mr. Kamin said this also can have repercussions in other areas, such as people who receive federal benefits, public housing and matters of child custody or visitation rights. The tension between state and federal law shows up in a lot of different places, he said. I think as long as federal prohibitions are in place those risks will continue to be there. Readers can subscribe to The Morning Risk Report here: http://on.wsj.com/MorningRiskReportSignup Follow us on Twitter at @WSJRisk.