“It is envisaged that the city will benefit more from the research that the city seeks to initiate in partnership with the MRC using data from participating departments and directorates,” Qually stated.

This new project is called the Matrix project. It operates as an outpatient rehabilitation program keeping the workers in their normal day to day environment. It began with 15 employees who have graduated from round one, which is being sober for more than 120 days. Round two of the pilot program has been given the go ahead from the portfolio committee.

The city hopes that this program will encourage employees to come forward and seek help voluntarily for substance abuse problems. Out of those employees who participated in the Matrix program, 70 percent have been involved in a disciplinary hearing.

Qually said that many employees decided to resign before they could be served with notices of further action. Due to this, it was impossible to give an exact figure of how many employees were struggling with substance abuse.

A suggestion in the report recommends the city to purchase drug testing kits in order to perform on the spot drug testing. Also the managers and supervisors will be trained to “manage and test” employees who have substance abuse problems.

Jeff Sardisco, the COO of USA Mobile Drug Testing stated the “The numbers are alarming. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), nine of 10 small and medium-sized businesses employ heavy drinkers or drug users. The SAMHSA study also found that 75 percent of illicit drug users were employed, primarily by small businesses.”

Sardisco also mentions that businesses can prevent hiring substance abusers by creating drug testing programs and making the workplace drug-free. “Although business owners may think that starting a drug testing program is not possible because they fear the costs or lack the staff to manage it, in reality any business can put together an effective program,” he says. “In addition, a cost effective turnkey program for both DOT-regulated and non-DOT drug testing programs for small and medium-sized businesses is available from USA Mobile Drug Testing.”

Studies performed by the U.S. Department of Labor concludes the workers who abuse drugs and alcohol tend to miss work more, are less productive which costs the employer and average of $7,000 a year. Also substance abusers’ cause more workplace accidents, and therefore file more workers’ compensation claims.

As mentioned by Sardisco, a drug testing program at a place of employment is cheaper than having to pay for accidents or worker’s compensation, caused by employees under the influence.

Having home drug testing kits at the workplace reduces lost time of a worker going off site for drug testing. It also provides an immediate detection of body substance, once an accident has occurred.

During the blitz, police had more than 4300 traffic offensives. They performed 2394 drug tests, in which 72 came back positive. They also conducted 30,403 breath tests in which 292 were found to be drunk driving.

Andrew Thiele who is the in Charge Inspector for the Traffic Support Branch Officers said the percentage of people driving under the influence of drugs is disturbing. “Police are extremely fearful as the Christmas season approaches, people will make poor choices after celebrating and drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” he stated.

During the months of July and September they also discovered a huge increase in drugged driving, producing 575 positive drug tests. During the same period in 2010 they had 398 positive drug test results.

According to The Advertiser the amount of drivers under the influence of methamphetamine doubled, from 122 to 274.

Although on the other hand, positive drug tests for marijuana dropped from 157 last year to 125.

Officer Thiele also stated that the number of drugged drivers was higher than drunk drivers due to the drug tests being more targeted and also an increase in police training.

Other citations during the October blitz included 3208 speeding tickets, 492 distractive driving offensives and 258 seat-belt enforcements.

Officer Thiele stated that “despite the improvement in serious injuries and road fatalities this October compared with last year, we have grave concerns the road safety message is still going unheeded and this will continue to cost lives. People who choose to drink or take drugs and drive should understand there are consequences to their decisions that may either end their life or change their life forever.”

This synthetic marijuana also known as K2, Spice, and Black Mamba has been the rise for the past few years. Due to the absence of THC, the authorities and drug testing companies are busy advancing drug testing methods in order to keep up with the trends.

K2 can be bought legally at most smoke shops, although some states (including Louisiana) have banned it all together.

It is an herbal blend sold as incense, but is sprayed with synthetic compounds. It is marketed as a way of getting high, but in cases of abuse people have been hospitalized, suffered intense hallucinations, seizures, increased heart rates and even death. Although it is a synthetic drug, it has been said that the effects can be 10 times more intense than marijuana. It is usually packaged in 3-gram zip lock baggies and comes in different flavors.

Les Miles who is LSU’s athletic department head and coach has not released a statement on this and has referred to the drug testing results as an internal situation. He was quoted in the New Orleans Times Picayune as saying “I’m not inclined to be forthcoming in information. I’m not reactionary to the needs of media and things external to this building. There’s a process I go through, and it’s not going to be shortcutted for the need to communicate. When there’s information that I can share, I will. I’m doing this for the best of our football team, to maintain a deportment and procedure that I’m true to and a process I’m comfortable with.”

K2 is on the National College Athletic Associations list of banned substances. Regardless if the drug is banned in different states or not, players will still face suspension if a positive drug test is produced for it.

These drug charges are opening many employers’ eyes to increased prescription drug abuse in the workplace, according to the experts. Increased use brings on the need for updated drug testing procedures.

Disclosing prescription drug abuse in the workplace is highly difficult in some situations. Many of the drug tests used by employers are not able to detect the use of painkillers or other prescription drugs. Last year out of the 4.5 million drug tests that were administered, only 12% of the tests could detect oxycodone, a commonly abused painkiller. Rusty Payne, a spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration stated, “These problems with prescription drugs, the addiction rates, the abuse rates, are happening in a lot of places that would surprise you. These are people who don’t fit the profile of a typical drug user.”

It is official that abuse of prescription medicine is on the rise. In September 2010 a study was released by the diagnostic testing company, Quest Diagnostic, in which they found more American job applicants and workers were testing positive for various kinds of opiates. Opiates are most commonly found in prescription medications. They also uncovered an increase of 18% in positive drug tests for opiates in the average U.S. working class from 2008 to 2009. There was also more than a 40% jump from 2005 to 2009.

Meth is a very powerful and highly addictive stimulant that is on the rise in the youth of America. It affects the central nervous system and is very similar to adrenaline. The ingredients such as battery acid and drain cleaner, are very inexpensive and can be made in home-based laboratory which is a contributing factor to the drugs widespread use.

While some parents out there are worried about their children’s grades and college choices, there are other parents who are worried whether their child will make it to their next birthday, due to drug abuse. A home drug testing kit can provide detection and allow you to get the help your child or loved one needs.

There are many observations you can make to tell if a person might be currently using meth. While under the influence the user will be very talkative with a high level of energy. They will have dry mouth, dilated pupils and might also be scratching or picking their skin leaving sores behind. Weight loss will be observed after a period of use. Other effects taking place within the users body are increased heart rate and blood pressure, which can cause severe damage to the cardiovascular system and the brain. Users can also become moody, paranoid and violent.

If a positive drug test occurs parents can take steps to get their child the help they need. Treatment for meth users involves counseling, 12-step programs and education on meth addiction and its effects on the mind and body.

Evidence indicates that marijuana changes the mental health of adolescents. These changes are similar to those caused by cocaine, heroin and alcohol. Long term consequences can impact the brain, and it’s up to parents to influence teens life when drugs come into their life.

Frequent or weekly us of marijuana can double a teenager’s anxiety and risk of depression. Teens who smoke when depressed are also more able to become addicted to marijuana and other substances. Eight percent of depressed teens used or became reliant on marijuana throughout a year when they experienced depression. Only three percent of non-depressed teens used marijuana.

The most at risk are teenage girls. Girls tended to feel more depressed than teenage boys, which resulted in a higher number of substance abuse.

This research has also showed that marijuana is linked to suicidal thoughts. Based on the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse it discovered that 12 to 17 teenagers who smoke marijuana weekly were three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts. This same study has also linked increased anxiety and panic attacks to marijuana use.

There have also been several studies that have linked the symptoms of schizophrenia and the abuse of marijuana. Chronic users of marijuana at the young age of 18 will have increased their risk of developing schizophrenia later in their life by six times. Other reports exposed that people with no history of schizophrenia disorder who used marijuana at 15 years old increased the risk for schizophrenia disorder later in life.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced that 11.3 percent of people of the ages 12 and older abused or relied on alcohol or drugs throughout the past year. This is substantially larger from the national average which is 8.9 percent.

The D.C. area sees drug and alcohol problems throughout all walks of life within the community. The SAMHSA discovered in their surveys that the most popular consumed drugs in the District are alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. Politicians, lobbyists and others regularly attend functions where they socialize for their job, in a drinking setting. Babette Wise, director of the alcohol and drug abuse program at Georgetown University Hospital stated that since drinking is tied to work, it’s harder for them or others to recognize a problem. “People will think, ‘How can my relative be an addict when he has this high position or she’s making all this money?’” Wise said.

D.C. also has large populations of people who suffer from the stress of high-pressure careers and poverty, both which have been known to lead to drug abuse. One of the major issues for the high rate of abusers are due to people not knowing how to get help, not thinking they need help, not able to find treatment and unable to afford care, among other reasons, said Peter Delany, director of SAMHSA’s center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality.

Since these abusers are not seeking help on their own, the District is now training primary care doctors, mental-health services providers and HIV treatment centers to screen people for alcohol and drug problems.

Texas Tech University in Lubbock is the leader of these programs since they were the first university to begin a recovery program. Texas Tech features 12-step courses, classes on relapse deterrence, chances for academic scholarships and a peaceful area for those who wish to meditate.

This summer, in an attempt to promote this concept a group of about 20 colleges formed the Association for Recovery in Higher Education. By creating recovery communities the colleges are featuring on-campus clubhouses, recovery courses, academic support and recreational opportunities. Students who are leaving treatment are advised to live at home and commute to class until they feel confident in their sobriety

Georgia’s Kennesaw State University is the founding member of the Association for Recovery in Higher Education. The program was launched in 2008 with only three members. Now it has grown in the community of 50 recovering students. This fall the University of Michigan and Penn State will introduce new recovery programs. They expect to ultimately help hundreds of students, and also the adult children of substance abusers.

Students between the ages of 18 to 24 are increasingly seeking substance abuse treatment at a growing rate, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. During 2000 and 2009 the number of students seeking drug abuse assistance more than doubled.

Without the help of treatment, students are left to fend for themselves and often drop out or flunk out. The heavy use of alcohol is highest among American college students ages 20 to 22.

The Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery at Texas Tech states that this program has saved 30,000 students which are about 2% of tuition revenue each year. Currently there are about 80 students in the “collegiate recovery community.” Requirements for membership include a one-credit class in relapse prevention each semester; satisfy 10 hours of community service and diligent involvement in a recovery program.

Researchers from the study have also stated that these children are also more likely to abuse other substances and to start giving or selling drugs to their peers. As the number of prescriptions for these controlled medication increases, so the the risk of their abuse and misuse.

This study measured the rates of abuse for four different types of controlled medications: painkillers, stimulants, sleeping medication and anti-anxiety drugs.

They created a website survey in which 2,600 middle and high school students from two southeastern Michigan school districts replied. One in five of these tested students have claimed to used at least one of the types of controlled medications throughout the past year.

Of those, 22 percent stated they had abused the prescribed medication, frequently by consuming extra doses.

Compared to students who have used their medication correctly, these students were nearly eight times more likely to test positive for drugs and are presumably more likely to start giving or selling drugs to others, the study stated.

The numbers of prescription painkillers abuse is soaring at an alarmingly rate nation wide between Americans. This misuse is a growing concern. Admission rates for drug treatment for abuse of opiates other than heroin has risen by 345 percent from 1998-2008.

Another study that has appeared in Archives of General Psychiatry, discovered that people with anxiety who “self-medicate” with drugs or alcohol are more likely to become substance abusers. According to a research team from the University of Manitoba, Canada they found that U.S. adults who self-medicate were also more likely to develop social phobia.