MediNat Australia

Workplace drug testing Australian Drug Foundation November 2012  PolicyTalk provides an overview of topical debates to help senior policy makers find the right solutions for the community on alcohol and other drug issues. No one objects to the breath testing of automobile drivers to ensure their performance is not impaired by high concentrations of alcohol. Similarly, people who are engaged in safety critical work in occupations such as transport, or by the use of heavy machinery, may also expect to undergo drug testing to reduce the risk of harm to themselves and others. Yet in other contexts workplace drug testing is far more controversial. The debate about drug testing employees can involve considerations of individual privacy, the financial cost to employers of testing, the efficacy of testing, and the workforce’s response to testing. This latest edition of PolicyTalk by Donna Bull, consultant to the Australian Defence Force and the Australian and Internationa

I search the internet and papers for the latest news on drug and alcohol use and what do i find, ALMOST NOTHING other than the tragic results of their influence. Why is it we in Australia are so good at viewing the tragic outcomes, accidents, road toll, workplace incidents etc and yet so poor at really discussing the number of people who are intoxicated at work, driving vehicles or operating machinery, poor at discussing the numbers of youth who are using substances that are putting themselves and others at high risk. Poor at discussing ways to seriously address the problems or putting preventive measures in place. We have a society of drug users including alcohol, from teens to mature adults. So what are we going to do about it?? I can find old reports of the decline in MDMA (ecstasy) or surprise surprise the increase in METH (ice) so what can parents do about the concern that their child is using ice? What about the use of K2 Kronic or Bath Salts, synthetic marihuana, chemical

Booze and drugs culture rife in construction industry: study Brisbane Times 3 September 2012 For better or worse, construction has a blokey reputation, but new research from Brisbane finds a "hazardous" consumption of recreational drugs and booze is latest problem facing the industry. And the macho culture is partly to blame, alongside high wages and transient job patterns, according the Queensland University of Technology team that led the national survey. The Safety Impacts of Alcohol and Other Drugs in Construction study drew nearly 500 workers from all areas of the industry across Australia and involved surveys and interviews over two years. The findings, presented today by project leader Professor Herbert Biggs at an international industry conference in Scotland, showed over 50 per cent of workers consumed alcohol at "hazardous" levels, and a further 15 per cent were at "significant risk of harm". Read more: See the New Range of

Random drug tests extended to boat operators Courtesy of ABC News 12 September 2012 Victorian boat operators will be subjected to random drug tests. The State Government is introducing legislation today that will see roadside drug swab tests extended to Victoria's lakes, rivers, the bays and the open ocean. Ports Minister Denis Napthine says the testing will apply to both recreational and commercial boat operators. "The water police and Transport Safety Victoria officers will be out on the waterways making sure that people are behaving appropriately and safely," he said. "Water police will have powers to do random drug testing and random blood-alcohol testing on operators of all water craft including jet skis, vessels and commercial vessels." The blood-alcohol limit for commercial skippers will also drop from 0.05 to zero. Mr Napthine says the changes to laws for road users have proven to be effective. "We need similar protections

00:02 AEST Tue Aug 28 2012 NINEMSN Drug users are being urged to be wary of buying harmful "legal high" stimulants over the internet. Mephedrone - a drug also known as "miaow miaow" and bath salts - is banned in most parts of Australia. Kronic, a synthetic cannabis, is also illegal. But other drugs, known as "legal highs", are still available through many of Australia's 100 internet retailers, the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) says. NDARC director Professor Michael Farrell said users needed to beware of the substances they are buying online, which are often sold under various misleading names. "They don't know what they're buying. What they think they're buying may be something different," he told AAP. "Just because it's not illegal doesn't mean it's not harmful." Prof Farrell is among 22 experts who will address NDARC's annual drug symposium on Tuesday

 Policeman suspended over drug test switch ABC News Updated July 08, 2012 12:27:02 New South Wales Police have revealed plans to roll-out a new drug testing program for officers. Under the reforms, the tests will deliver instant results and may lead to immediate suspension. The revelation comes after a 29-year-old sergeant was charged for allegedly switching a urine sample to cover-up the use of amphetamines. When he later provided his own urine, it tested positive for amphetamines and 'ice'. However, Assistant Commissioner Paul Carey says the incident did not prompt the plans. "That's simply a result of the random testing that's done across the state," he said. He says making the test regime more efficient is a positive step forward. "We can be assured, and the community can be assured that police officers aren't using drugs," he said. "If they are, we will catch them." More Here:

If you follow most media articles and web posts one would think K2 or synthetic cannabis/marijuana were still legal in Australia! My research says otherwise, in fact from as early as June 2011 steps were taken by the TGA to make it a prohibited substance. View my online article on Legal facts relating to K2 legislation in Australian States and Territories. We feel so strongly about the use of K2 and its many identities we are now launching K2 Urine drug tests in Australia in an attempt to intervene in the personal, workplace and social issues surrounding its use! People! in most cases the label says "not for human consumption" so why smoke it? its laced with chemicals,  JWH-018 pentanoic acid and JWH-073 butanoic acid, to name the most common! see our K2 Fact Sheet for more information. K2 Urine Test pre-orders now available from our website .

Court gives business the go-ahead to drug and alcohol test staff Reported in Smart Company Friday, 15 June 2012 11:43 Cara Waters The Federal Court has upheld an employer’s right to subject workers to mandatory drug and alcohol tests in a judgment welcomed by business groups and criticised by unions. The full bench of the court yesterday ruled against the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, which had fought against the testing on a Victorian roadworks site. "It seems clear enough that mandatory testing is a surer method of determining who is affected by alcohol and therefore who is at risk (of injuring himself or others) than relying on self-identification or the inclination of one worker to inform on another," Judges Robert Buchanan and Anna Katzmann held. The CFMEU was appealing against a decision of Fair Work Australia's full bench which found there was nothing in a collective agreement to prevent Wagstaff Piling requiring

Fake pot sales hitting a high   THE crackdown on synthetic marijuana is a shambles, with no one charged and sales booming. A proposed tough new law banning the sale of products "intended to have a similar pharmacological effect" to cannabis, lapsed with the change of government. Police seized about 100kg of suspected synthetic cannabis in statewide raids six months ago but, since then, a Sunday Mail investigation has found that a tobacconist in a southeast Queensland mining town was still selling it until late last month, when police "provided advice". Although the tobacconist had a separate till to ring up the lucrative product, and it was drawing a queue of mining workers, nothing was seized by attending police. Officers told The Sunday Mail that one tobacconist in another regional mining area was making $1000 a day selling fake cannabis. Miners had turned to the product because it could not be detected in standard workplace

Victory for energy workers over urine drug testing MAKING employees submit to urine tests for drug use is ''unjust and unreasonable'' as the tests can detect drug usage from the weekend which may have no bearing on a person's ability to do their job safely, according to Fair Work Australia. The arbitrator this week ruled in favour of unions representing workers from the state-owned Endeavour Energy company, who argued that oral swabs, which generally detect drugs used only in the past few hours, should be used instead of urine tests. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/victory-for-energy-workers-over-urine-drug-testing-20120328-1vyrq.html#ixzz1wF9aOdKQ Airline staff test positive to alcohol, drug tests DOZENS of aircraft engineers, airline cabin crew, refuellers, security staff and baggage handlers have tested positive in drug and alcohol tests. The tests were conducted by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. CA