The number of drug overdose deaths in Victoria has risen every year since 2010, and pharmaceutical drugs have contributed significantly to that increase, says Melissa Davey in a report for The Guardian.
The world has changed since the days so vividly portrayed in that critically-acclaimed drama series “Mad Men”. No longer are people lighting up whenever and wherever they feel like it. Smoking laws are making sure of that. Most workplaces have also enforced smoking bans. In a world that has become exponentially aware of the dangers of tobacco use, smoking—particularly smoking in public—is now frowned upon by society in general.
The advent of electronic cigarettes, however, is threatening to shake things up once again. Suddenly, tobacco-using members of the workforce who have shifted to e-cigarettes now have the opportunity to once again get their nicotine fix at work. After all, they wouldn’t technically be smoking in the workplace. They’d be vaping in the workplace, which many employers are probably not ready, to address just yet.
Nevertheless, vaping in the workplace needs to be addressed. As with any workplace issue, there are several factors that need to be considered. Let’s discuss some of those factors, including one that appears to be simple but could bring about unwanted complications if they go about it without utmost care.
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Not all addictions that impact the workplace are drug related. Whenever the word “addiction” comes up, most people automatically mentally conjure images of a person sticking a needle into a vein and getting high on some drug. While it’s true that the word is most closely associated with drugs, ingesting a substance is not the only way one can become an addict.
Like the one that involves drugs, these non-drug addictions can inflict as much havoc on one’s health, relationships, finances, and of course, work. Here are some of the addictions that may not involve drug use, but impact the workplace just the same. Interestingly, one of these non-drug addictions might come as a huge surprise, especially in relation to the workplace.
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Nearly half number of illegal clandestine drug labs found operating in Australia in 2013-2014 were in Queensland, says a report by Lisa Yallamas for Brisbane Times.
Marijuana may already be practically legal in most of the United States, but its improved legal status there does not mean its effects on users have become any less adverse. A long-running study conducted by a university in Switzerland reveals that marijuana use over a long period of time may affect one’s verbal memory, says a report by Vanessa Brown for News.com.au.
An article published in the Medical Journal of Australia is warning that over prescribing psychostimulants for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD can lead to increased rates of misuse, which would eventually lead to health issues that include anxiety, insomnia and ultimately, cardiovascular problems.
Lucas Browne, Australia’s first-ever heavyweight boxing champion of the world, has tested positive for a banned substance called clenbuterol, says a report from the BBC.
A drug syndicate operating from multiple suburbs in Perth has been hit hard by Kensington police as more than $3 million worth of drugs, firearms, stolen property and other assets were seized in multiple raids, says a report by Alyesha Anderson for PerthNow.
Backed by eight search warrants, the raids were conducted in Welshpool, East Perth, Joondalup and Mirrabooka. Among the assets seized are drugs, cash, various firearms, stolen jewellery and electronic goods, and Harley Davidson motorcycle that has been reported as stolen. Also seized were a $400,000 bank account, seven commercial properties and one residential property.
The raids were part of an ongoing investigation into the drug trade in the south east metropolitan district. It is the latest in a string of victories for law enforcement in its battle against drugs. In February, a Joint Organised Crime Taskforce raided a Perth hotel room and seized 26.4kg of ice worth a potential $66 million in the street.
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