The rising incidence of ice use in the construction industry has raised concerns among unions, who are now open to the idea of mandatory drug testing on construction sites, says Sue Lannin in a report for ABC News.
The ice epidemic is getting worse in Australia, but one central New South Wales town is having it so bad it has earned the nickname “South Pole”, says an article on News.com.au
A top addiction research centre has testified before a Federal Senate inquiry that high unemployment rates are driving many regional Australians to abuse drugs and alcohol, says Geoff Egan in a report for the Sunshine Coast Daily.
Professor Ann Roche, director of the Flinders University National Centre for Education on Training and Addiction, told the Senate Committee inquiry into ice in July that residents of regional and rural areas—where life opportunities tend to be scarce—are especially vulnerable to abusing alcohol and drugs, including crystal meth or ice.
“The individuals in those communities are more vulnerable to the use of substances that are basically going to make them feel better when life is not looking particularly good,” Roche told the committee at the meeting in Mount Gambia in South Australia.
Read the full article.
Read More
There is a mounting call for a change in Australia’s drug laws to make drug use a public health issue and not a criminal issue, and three federal MPs have just added their voices to that call, says Nick Jarvis in an article for InTheMix.
If you thought only athletes from traditional sports are prone to taking performance-enhancing drugs, think again. With the admission of some professional gamers that they have been boosting their performance levels by taking drugs like Adderall, pro gaming league ESL has taken the initiative to actually implement drug testing procedures on gamers who join its tournaments.
David Hayes, one of the top horse trainers in Australia, has added his voice to the growing clamour for trainers across the country to drug test their staff after the Shopaholic incident, in which the said horse tested positive for methamphetamine or ‘ice’
Drug screening in the workplace has been around for some time now, and few people will doubt that it has benefited countless employers and employees over the years.
Following are 15 of the most impactful benefits of drug testing at the workplace. Some of these may surprise you.
(more…) Read More
An article written by Claire Tyrrell for The West Australian reports an incident which clearly illustrates how unreliable employees who abuse drugs can be. A truck driver who failed a roadside drug test conducted by police just quit his job and left behind the horse transport truck he was driving and its cargo.