News

Drug overdose kills more Australians than road accidents

18 June, 2021

Australia's drug overdose problem

Drug abuse: It’s a silent yet deadly epidemic that’s been secretly sweeping across Australia for decades.

And as this hidden scourge continues to worsen, the death toll due to drug overdose will keep rising with it.

In fact, according to the Pennington Institute’s Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2020, there were 2,070 drug overdose deaths in 2018. That figure is nearly twice the number of accidental road deaths (1,220) in that same year.

Just how bleak is the situation? And what can you, as an employer, do to protect your company and employees from this lethal epidemic?

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Coping with Australia’s lingering cocaine problem

02 June, 2021

cocaine use in Australia

If you need a poster boy for Australia’s illegal drug industry, look no further than former Olympic athlete Nathan Baggaley.

In April 2021, the Brisbane Supreme Court found the two-time Olympic silver medalist kayaker and his brother Dru guilty of smuggling cocaine into the country. The charges were based on their arrest back in 2018. Police had intercepted a boat they hired to receive goods from a foreign ship some 360 kilometres off the coast. (Dru Baggaley himself was aboard the boat together with skipper Anthony Draper.) The ship offloaded some 200 million dollars worth of cocaine.

The Baggaleys will now be sentenced at a later date. However, this isn’t the first time they’ve dabbled in crime. Both Nathan and Dru Baggaley have a history of dealing in illegal drugs. They have even served time for it. But with this latest offence, the brothers could face a lifetime in prison. 

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PCP Testing And Everything You Need To Know About it

25 May, 2021

Dangers of PCP (phencyclidine) abuse in the workplace

PCP might not be as widely known as other drugs of abuse such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin or ecstasy. However, it has been destroying countless lives around the world for years. Even a small dose of this hallucinogenic drug can already debilitate and disorient people. In large doses, it can cause violent and suicidal behaviour in users. They become a threat not only to themselves but other people around them as well.

Find out everything there is to know about PCP in this guide. Learn about how you can protect your company employees from this deadly drug.

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Five Insane Workplace Drug Addiction Stories

20 April, 2021

wild runaway workplace drug addiction

We all know that drug addiction in the workplace is one of the worst and potentially devastating problems your company can encounter.

It is not easy to spot drug addicts among the staff, as most of the time drug users are extremely good at hiding their habits.

However, here is a selection of examples where drug users were not quite as successful in hiding those habits…

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How to guard against synthetic drug abuse at work

13 April, 2021

Keeping synthetic drug abuse in the workplace a secret

Synthetic drug abuse in the workplace is a serious problem, but sadly it’s not being discussed enough. Drug users are typically very good at hiding their habits, especially if they’re at work. And as a society, we’re generally taught not to tell on our coworkers. This makes it harder to address the situation.

However, as a business leader, your duty involves keeping your company and employees safe. You need to confront your workers if you think they’re posing a serious threat not only to themselves but others as well. This includes taking on the issue of synthetic drug abuse at work no matter how difficult the conversation might be.

What dangers do synthetic drugs pose to the workers? How can you protect your workplace from the impacts of these drugs? Read on to find out the answers.

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CBD vs THC – Everything You Need to Know About Medicinal Cannabis

09 March, 2021

Various CBD and THC products

CBD and THC are two of the most popular chemical compounds found in marijuana (Cannabis sativa) plant. Recent studies have shown the potential of these cannabinoids to be used in medical treatments. However, they can still cause some negative side effects especially when not taken properly.

As an employer, it’s best to know how CBD and THC can affect your workers’ health and performance. Understanding the impacts of medicinal cannabis on your employees can help protect your company from potential workplace accidents.

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Is CBD Oil Consumption Safe for the Workplace?

03 March, 2021

Low-dose CBD oils (cannabidiol) are now available in Australian pharmacies

Pharmacies in Australia now sell low-dose CBD oil without the need for a prescription as of 1 February 2021. The news comes after the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) announced a final decision to down-schedule certain CBD products. This marks the first time that the mood-altering substance is made available to the public through pharmacies.

With easier access to CBD oils, what does this mean for workers taking the substance? Will it lead to higher usage rates in the workplace? Can it show up as false positives in drug testing?

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