Scientists Have Developed Exhaled Breath Drug Test
Ever since workplaces started requiring workers to take drug tests, those opposed to them have consistently labeled the practice as an invasion of privacy, as employees are being asked to submit urine samples for the tests or face consequences. However, a recent scientific development might put a stop to all that, as scientists have reported developing a drug test that doesn’t require urine samples. All it needs to determine drug use or abuse is a person’s exhaled breath.
There was a time when cocaine was the most fashionable illicit drug in the world. Classified as a stimulant, it was the drug of choice for many addicts, particularly those who can afford it as it tended to be more expensive than other illegal drugs. It had its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, but the advent of cheaper illegal substances gave cocaine stiff competition.
In a world as highly competitive as the one we live in today, working more hours than usual has become the norm. For many employees, 12-hour days are typical. The hours become even longer when there are deadlines to beat or presentations to polish. It has become common for workers with families to come home to a house where everyone is already asleep by the time they get there, and everything just seems all right.
Many people might think that prescription drug abuse isn’t that bad, compared to illegal drug abuse, such as cocaine, heroin, or ice. The truth, however, is far scarier. An article for The Daily Reporter reveals how alarming prescription drug abuse statistics in the United States have become.
Many organisations are now implementing drug testing during the recruitment process, which, as far as we’re concerned, is the best way to make sure that employers won’t be hiring regular users of illicit drugs. An article by Bourree Lam for The Atlantic, however, raises a valid point about drug testing during recruitment weeding out great candidates as well.
The impending execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the two convicted ringleaders of the Bali Nine, is grabbing headlines around the world, and if you take a closer look at Australian and Indonesia media coverage of the case, you will see that there is a great difference in the way they treat it.
Believe it or not, many experts agree that the most dangerous drug in the world is not ice, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, or any other substance that many countries deem illegal. The world’s most dangerous drug is alcohol, a very legal and widely available substance. A number of studies have already reached this conclusion, and very few people would be disputing it.
Tired of ineffective drug policies being implemented by governments? Frustrating these policies may be, don’t forget that everything has a silver lining, and as far as ineffective drug policies go, those adorable sniffer dogs police use to implement drug policies can at least make you forget about how ineffective they actually are. At least that’s what a humour piece on SBS is trying to tell us.