If you think substituting e-cigarettes for real cigarettes is a healthier choice, a new study is suggesting otherwise. The study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, says e-cigarettes could actually serve as a gateway drug to users which will make them more likely to use and get hooked on cocaine and other illicit drugs.
The number of businesses that perform drug tests in the workplace is increasing dramatically, which is a good thing. However, some companies have drug policies that aren’t all that clear about its stipulations, and that could lead to certain issues that can put the business in a tricky situation if and when an employee is caught violating its drug policy. A clearly worded policy is absolutely important, and this need is underscored in Cosgrove v Kuehne and Nagel Ltd, a case in which an employee dismissed for failing a drug test successfully claimed unfair dismissal. (more…)
Despite the skyrocketing prices of cocaine and other illicit drugs in Australia, Australian drug users continue to patronise the substances, essentially paying some of the highest prices for drugs in the world, according to an article on Stoney Roads.
The use of crystal meth, or better known in Australia as ”ice”, is everywhere, but it appears to be more rampant in Victoria, according to a report by 9News.com, which calls ice use in that part of the country an “epidemic”.
The Fair Work Commission has upheld the decision of Lyndons Pty Ltd to terminate the employment of a worker who confessed to being a long-term cannabis user and subsequently tested positive for the substance.
Illicit drugs like cocaine, heroin, and ice are inherently dangerous. They wreak havoc on the brain, heart, liver, and other vital organs in the body. They alter how a person looks or acts. They destroy lives. For that very reason, governments have declared them illegal, and rightly so. Severe punishments await those caught violating laws related to these substances.
Alcohol also happens to cause liver damage, heart problems, and strokes, among other things. Drunk people tend to be uninhibited, and in many cases, violent. Families have been torn apart by alcoholism, and countless people have met their deaths because drivers had one too many drinks. Just like illicit drugs, alcohol destroys lives. And the funny thing is they can be bought legally and quite easily as long as you’re of a certain age. Now alcoholism is becoming an epidemic, and numerous studies and surveys are proving it.
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The concept of drug testing at work has been around for more than three decades, yet there are still people who surprisingly question its relevance or are simply not aware of its connection to workplace safety. Regardless of how you view it, drug testing for workplace safety is an essential part of looking out for the health, safety, and welfare of the workforce, and that statement is backed by the results of several studies which prove the connection between drug testing and workplace safety.
A paralysed employee who was dismissed by the company he works for — after failing a workplace drug test in 2010 — is now taking his case to the Colorado Supreme Court, according to an article by Jack Healy for The New York Times. (more…)