30 July 2008 - 22:39Marijuana. Part 2.

Marijuana does, over time, have a depressing effect on the brain’s memory centers. With heavy smokers of this drug, there have been cases of respiratory problems. There is also documentation that for the first sixty to ninety minutes chances of a heart attack are alarmingly increased due to the fact that the heart rate and blood pressure both spike. Users also have a period of time in which their perception is altered and their reflexes and responses are impaired which heightens the chance of an accident, particularly if driving. The drug also can make many users paranoid for a short while and it will also magnify any underlying mental problems. The effects of marijuana were once depicted in a movie from the 30s, “Reefer Madness”, which showed outrageous behavior among a group of teens, but these results were later scoffed at. If someone does have an addictive personality, marijuana may be that bridge to other drugs. As a result of being thought of as a “harmless” drug, and distributed as such, it has been possible for marijuana to reach younger and younger groups. It is not a very big step for a 6th grader to go from one smoke (cigarette) to another. This is especially true when one is told that it is just a “little joint”. Marijuana demand has been responsible for many gang and cartel formations in the 70s and 80s as they fought to corral the millions of dollars that were being paid for this relatively simple and inexpensive (to produce) commodity.

There has also been a negative impact on the economy due to lost work hours that can be attributed both directly and indirectly to the use of this drug. It does not matter whether the hours lost are due to tardiness, absences or job accidents while under the influence…..lost hours of any sort are going to impact both families and the economy. Also, long term marijuana use has contributed to many young adults failing to continue or finish their education.

Marijuana legalization is worthy of consideration when you weigh both sides and choose to see the larger picture. We cannot legislate morality and this is a moral question. Those who would seek to abuse this substance will do so one way or another. The people who are in need of the beneficial properties will be allowed their relief and not be made to feel as though they are criminals. The legalization, regulation and taxation of this drug would assure a safe product and would also assure a huge stream of revenue for our government, federal, state and local. The people who would be licensed to grow the crops commercially would have jobs to offer and there would always be those who would be happy with the home-grown variety. Prices would be at a level which could halt the import of the foreign grown crops and there would be no need for people to try and hustle to sell this drug on street corners or in alleys. Merely removing the illegal label would cause the allure of the drug to dim for some. Prohibition did not work for alcohol and it has not worked for marijuana to this point. It is time we heeded the lessons of our past and incorporated them into our present and future. It is time to reconsider our priorities and our commitments. Is there really that much of a difference between nicotine, alcohol and marijuana? Of the three, marijuana has ruined the fewest lives, killed the fewest people and destroyed the fewest families. The glaring difference is that the first two are regulated and taxed and the third is not.

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25 July 2008 - 22:35Marijuana. Part 1.

marijuanaMarijuana, or cannabis sativa, a common hemp plant, is both the most commonly used and the most commonly abused illegal recreational drug in the world today. The history of this unassuming plant can be traced back to the days of the Neanderthal. Archaeologists have recovered burned and blackened seeds from this plant at fire pits which are dated to 10,000 BC. While we have no idea of the exact use these men had for cannabis, we do know that through the years many cultures have used it during religious and other sacred rituals. Today, in some countries, they still use marijuana in this manner. However, in the United States, this drug remains illegal, untaxed and unregulated. Laws making the possession, selling, or use of marijuana illegal, were enacted early in the 20th century. These laws have essentially remained with us throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, although there is now a growing support for the legalization of marijuana. It was thought that once laws were in force, the use of marijuana would be eliminated, but, as with liquor, this thinking proved false.

Marijuana is both plentiful and easily obtained and has never lacked for demand or supply. In the warmer climates it is very easily cultivated and needs little care to grow. It is imported illegally from Mexico and South America as well as other countries, and it can be grown almost anywhere in the world. The drug is very simple in form….it consists of the dried and crushed (or crumbled) leaves, buds and stems of the plant. The flower buds themselves are especially prized for their potent effects on the user. Marijuana is rolled in paper or placed in a pipe and smoked or added to food and eaten. (No preparation is necessary beyond harvesting the plant parts and this is a factor that contributes to the ready availability.) There is an active ingredient in the plant that produces the psychotropic effects or “high” that the user’s desire and it is known by the initials, THC. This substance is found in the highest concentrations in the buds, which is why this part of the plant is of particular value to both seller and user. Marijuana use is not restricted to any social class or geographic area. Some people have even equated its broad use with an “epidemic”.

Marijuana is considered to be at the weaker end of the “bad drug” spectrum and has the advantage of being a natural substance, usually free of adulteration. It has never been conclusively linked with lung cancer although smoking is the primary method of use. Marijuana relaxes or mellows the mood of the user and they are usually content in a passive state and are rarely, if ever, combative or violent. Violent crimes are committed by people who have stated use of marijuana as well as some other substance, often it is alcohol. The use of marijuana is often said to be the gateway to “drug hell”, but it has yet to be proven that the use of this drug leads to any other, heavier drugs. The body is able to clear almost the entire drug from the body within 5-8 hours. For the vast majority of users there is no desire to immediately repeat the experience, and there is no great urge to keep smoking. You do not overdose by smoking marijuana as people do with other drugs. In addition, there are some people with severe, debilitating illnesses such as cancer who can only get relief of their pain and nausea by using marijuana. It has also proved useful in the treatment of some anorexics and some Alzheimer’s patients who were suffering from tremendous anxiety. There are other medical problems which have seen improvement with the use of marijuana cannabanoids as part of their treatment plan. The medical community has become greatly interested in studying some of the cannabanoids other than THC, as these produce beneficial results with no psychotropic effects. Recently there has been one cannabanoid found which counters inflammation of the brain and has no other effects on the brain or body.

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20 July 2008 - 22:27Cocaine. Part 2

Cocaine is an extremely good pain reliever, when it is applied as a topical anesthetic, which makes it an ideal drug to be used for the eye, throat, and tooth or ear pain. It has also even been show to help some people concentrate and perform tasks better. It can and does boost endurance and energy levels as well. But he crowning achievement of cocaine will always be its anesthetic properties. When it was introduced into the medical community and its power was discovered and utilized, this one drug was able to change painful surgical procedures into pain free events. For this one godsend to mankind it will always be remembered.

Cocaine is also able to lull people into feeling as though they have become superhuman. They feel as though they can do anything and often try which ends badly. The use of cocaine will produce extremely intense highs of only 10 to 60 minutes and these are followed by equally intense lows and the lows usually last longer than the highs. This is an amazingly addictive drug and a user will begin to require more and more of it in order to attain a high and the duration of the highs generally become shorter. This drives the user to use even more of the cocaine in an increasingly desperate attempt to attain a better and stronger high. It is a vicious circle that is almost impossible to break. Cocaine use is accompanied by dangerously sharp spikes in both blood pressure and heart rate and this has led to heart attacks and death in many otherwise healthy young adults. People become caught in the “cocaine squeeze” and they lose track of things like life, family and eating, they can only think of the drug. The behavior of someone who takes cocaine can never be predicted. It is quite common for the most docile of people to explode suddenly and become unbelievably strong and violent.

Cocaine is snorted into the nose, rubbed on the gums or injected into veins and each of these has a devastating, cumulative effect on the body. There are people today who have little septum left in their noses as a result of their cocaine habits. Others suffer from chronic nosebleeds, poor dentition, bleeding gums and scars on their arms.

Cocaine is indeed a powerful and explosive drug and perhaps it possesses even more uses than we now know, and it is capable of doing great good in controlled settings. However, this substance is rather like Pandora’s Box. Few, if any, can resist the temptation to take one peek. And just as Pandora discovered, once the box is opened- the contents are freed upon the unsuspecting world. Sometimes a box should remain closed. This is one of those times.

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15 July 2008 - 22:21Cocaine. Part 1.

CocaineCocaine is the most powerful, naturally occurring stimulant that has yet been discovered and it has a history as old as time. Cocaine is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant, which is a native of South America. The majority of the coca crop is grown in only 3 South American countries, Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. The extraction of cocaine from the leaves was discovered only after the Spaniards began exporting the leaves to Europe. The South American natives had contented themselves for years with merely chewing on the leaves which accomplished much the same purpose as far as cocaine extraction is concerned. The cocaine, when extracted forms a hard, crystalline type ball and must be acid neutralized in order for it to change from the rock form into a powder. If not treated with an acid, the cocaine will retain the hard rock qualities and form and this is known as crack cocaine, which is an even more strongly addictive drug. Cocaine is second in world popularity only to marijuana. But there is no other drug that comes close to generating the street dollars commanded by cocaine. The latest government estimate showed street cocaine at the center of an empire generating 80 billion dollars annually. It is not difficult to understand why the different drug cartels and street gangs are in such frequent wars to claim their share of the drug pie.

Cocaine’s history as a drug has its beginnings in South America. The natives there had been chewing coca leaves for untold years and had many uses for this plant. They had discovered that when they chewed the leaves and used the cocaine laced saliva, it made a wonderful topical anesthetic. They certainly put it to good use during actual surgeries that were performed hundreds of years ago. They could also stave off hunger pain as cocaine has superb appetite suppressing qualities also. And of course, when chewing on these same leaves, the natives had also found that they gained energy and great endurance. The coca leaves had a place of honor in many of their rituals as well and was simply used for stimulation and pleasure by many. The Spaniards at first believed that the cocaine was akin to the devil, but when they were able to try it for themselves they became cocaine converts and began exporting coca leaves to Europe.

During the years coca leaves and its precious cocaine developed quite a following, proudly being used by doctors, scientists and even Popes. A method had been devised to extract pure cocaine from the leaves and it was for sale at multiple establishments. The uses for this wonder drug ranged far and wide. It was used for teething as well as toothaches, for eye surgery and ingrown toenails and for nearly any other use one cared to name. Actually the growing use of cocaine heralded the dawning of a new time for medicine…..procedures could now be done in a fairly pain free way thanks to this new and powerful drug. The medical establishment was one of the most willing groups to experiment with cocaine and they were more than happy to experiment on themselves. The doctors proudly tested cocaine and they tested it on themselves in every way they could conceive.Sigmund Freud was one of these experimenters and he wrote volumes on the results that he and others achieved or witnessed.

By the turn of the 20th century an outcry against this drug had begun in earnest. People had become more aware of how powerful and how dangerous cocaine actually was. No longer was it looked upon with unbridled adoration. Times had definitely changed. Laws were enacted to govern the use and distribution of cocaine. Again things changed and cocaine enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, although it was still very much illegal, it was the party drug of choice and had achieved an almost cult like status. The surge of popularity during this time was much shorter lived due in part to better education and understanding and also to strictly enforced drug laws.

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10 July 2008 - 22:18Urine drug test. Part 2.

Urine drug tests were, at one time, primarily used by officers and workers within the correctional field and by attorneys and courts, but today the use has spread throughout the nation and into many areas. There is no denying that this test has helped spearhead the many efforts that have been made in securing drug free work environments. Even insurance companies will provide special discount rates for workers’ comp and health insurance if the companies have drug testing policies and procedures in place and are adhering to them.

Urine drug tests can be given to someone at any time of the day or night without compromising the results and the test truly requires little from either the participant or the examiner. The tests enjoy the reputation for a high rate of accuracy as well as the ability to test for numerous drugs. There is indisputable evidence that these drug tests have been largely responsible for a drastic decline in drug use among workers. These tests are indispensable to companies such as trucking concerns which must rely upon sober and drug-free drivers.

These same tests do have their drawbacks. Urine is a body fluid, and as such, it is considered a hazardous material and must be treated accordingly. This means that there are certain rules by OSHA that govern its collection, handling and disposal. These procedures must be maintained during the entire testing process or heavy fines could be imposed. The procedures include using gloves when handling the specimen, maintaining good hand washing and being certain there are facilities for this at the testing site, and having marked bags to hold the collection cups. Of course there is always the possibility of contamination of something or someone by some accidental or inadvertent spillage of the urine. The samples themselves must be kept cool or refrigerated while awaiting the testing, otherwise the urine will begin to degrade and render the test useless. The collection procedure must always be carefully monitored throughout the duration as well. There have been cases where people will try and have another person take their place. In some instances, there have been some who try to smuggle in clean urine in order to attempt to substitute this urine in place of their own. Often people will suffer from performance anxiety or a “shy bladder’ or just plain embarrassment and have extreme difficulty producing a sample. There are also the lost man-hours to tally up, as an employee who is in the process of being tested must absent himself from the job in order to comply.

It is very evident from the above, that urine drug tests have been very instrumental in the war on drugs. They continue to play a very important part in making workplaces drug and alcohol free. The result of this is a better and safer environment for all. Some opponents argue that these tests, as well as others, are unconstitutional, demeaning, humiliating and an invasion of privacy. These accusations seem more than a little harsh. Urine tests are nothing more than reporters and they merely are reporting what they find. If anything is unfair it is the person who is using illegal drugs and getting away with it.

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5 July 2008 - 22:08Urine drug test. Part 1.

Urine Drug TestIn today’s workplace environment a urine screen (or test) has become almost as routine as filling out of a job application. Urine tests are non-invasive methods of collecting a body fluid for the purpose of testing the sample for the presence of any drugs. It should be noted that a urine test ca not be used to test for the presence of a drug that has just been ingested, but it is very good at being able to find any traces of drugs that are presently being excreted by way of the urinary tract. Urine tests are designed to find the metabolites or traces of drugs. Metabolites are the by-products of the drug itself and these metabolites occur when your body has broken down a drug and is beginning to excrete it. These metabolites, or trace particles, are found in the urine for as long as it takes your body to process and clear the drug. For some drugs, the entire process could take 12 hours. For other drugs, traces remain in the urine you excrete for 1-3 days or longer. In some instances, such as with marijuana (pot) the urine may remain positive for 1-3 months. These timelines are all dependent on the type of drug taken and whether the use was short term or habitual. To a lesser degree clearance rates are also affected by body type, age, health factors, height and weight.

There are many drugs that a urine drug screen can track, but it is these major groups that are usually targeted; cocaine and other opiates, marijuana, barbiturates, amphetamines, alcohol and even PCP. These urine tests have extremely high rates of accuracy and all of the testing procedures are double checked and monitored. Although many try, there is little a person can do to overturn the validity of a positive report from a urine drug screen. For well over 20 years the urine drug tests have been making inroads across the United States. As drug use increased so did the reliability and technology of the tests and this has also led to more demand for them.

The urine drug testing kit is quite simple and is comprised of a wipe and a small plastic specimen cup with a lid. There is no preparation necessary, one need only provide a freshly voided urine sample into the collection cup and hand it over to the appropriate examiner. The examiner will label it and record pertinent data such as temperature, pH, color and specific gravity. These are all necessary checks to help ascertain the validity and accuracy of the proffered specimen. There are many people who continue to try and fool the test through various means. Some people try to adulterate the specimen by adding drops of Visine, vinegar or other liquids to the specimen in an effort to invalidate some or all of the test results. Others will drink water and fill themselves to bursting beforehand in an effort to dilute their urine in an effort to also dilute traces of any drugs. This is one reason color and specific gravity is closely watched. The measurements and color of the urine specimen alone will often indicate whether or not it is a true and valid specimen. There are even many drinks and other concoctions that are being hawked both on the street and the internet that all promise to provide you with the means to fool any urine drug test. These are, needless to say, largely false and very misleading claims.

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1 July 2008 - 22:02Oral Fluid Drug Test. Part 2

The reliability and accuracy of these tests are in the 98-99% range and they are quite easy to read by those who are charged with administering and documenting the tests. No longer is there any worry about being splashed with bodily fluids and there is no cleaner method available for collecting a body fluid specimen. The employee is able to maintain his composure and dignity during the entire testing procedure and he does not feel violated, as many did under the constant observation during the urine tests. One of the better features of this test is the ability to isolate any of the target drugs that have just been taken. In the past, there were many stories about people that would actually take urine tests while high and yet the urine test would be clean because the drug was too new within the body to show up. With the use of the urine collection tests, the collection could only be done after the drugs had sufficient time to metabolize in the body. It was only after the drug metabolization had begun and the body had begun to excrete that the older tests were able to isolate traces of them. This is not the case any longer thanks to the advent of the new oral fluid collection technology. There is no loss of man hours due to waiting for the completion of a test or to get the results….it takes only a minute ,or so ,to do an oral test, and 10 minutes to see the results. There is no way of adulterating, falsifying or confusing this test. For many employers it is a wonderful innovation, for which there truly was a need.

Oral fluid tests can sometimes be hampered by a lack of oral saliva, and recent food or drink that has been ingested can also have an effect on the drug quantification. But these are quite small negatives. These tests are only geared, unfortunately, for the major types of abused drugs…..opiates, cocaine and heroin, barbituates, alcohol and THC. They can only tell recent drug use. Which is one reason, their scope includes the more prevalent, illegal drugs, and the tests can not give any indications of any past drug histories. These tests can and do clearly show how greatly improved today’s drug testing method truly is.

Although the number of drugs that an oral fluids test can check for is relatively small, this one small negative is offset by the numerous positive factors that oral fluid collecting kits have brought to the table. In the past, the procedures surrounding a urine drug screen did often cause humiliation and anger or resentment. An oral test manages to get the job done and over with almost as soon as the person can blink. And any employer would far rather know if an employee is actually using drugs at work, as opposed to knowing that an employee had drank some beer at his home during his time off. This test makes a great deal sense when it is applied and used in a proper setting. These tests may soon become the gold standard in the majority of workplace settings, particularly in settings where it is imperative that the employees are sober and alert, such as in the trucking or heavy machinery fields.

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27 June 2008 - 22:01Oral Fluid Drug test. Part 1

Oral fluid drug tests have provided employers and employees with a more dignified, and safer, method of checking for drug use. Thanks to advances in technology, we have a safer and accurate method of checking for drugs in the workplace, particularly at short notice and in almost any workplace setting. Previously, urine samples would be required and this was not a time or cost efficient method due to the time constraints of collecting and sending samples, refrigeration and packing of the samples and the cost of the sample kits themselves. Then there was also the fact that some samples were difficult, if not impossible to collect, and the only alternative was to wait it out, this has been classified as the “bashful bladder syndrome”. Urine sample collection also was a time of awkwardness and embarrassment as well as outright mortification for some. And every employee would have to cooperate. Employers had to have restroom facilities available for the duration of the testing procedures or have the employees go off-site for additional testing which would always necessitate a higher cost to both employee and employer as then you would have to factor in another transportation cost. In addition, the privacy of the employees was non-existent, due to the nature of the test. Oral drug tests are able to provide quick and reliable results and have proven to be quite cost efficient. The cost of the kits is even cheaper than those for urine collection.

The drugs which can be tested for include THC, cocaine and heroin, alcohol, Ecstasy, barbiturates and amphetamines. These oral fluid collection tests may actually be superior at determining opiate usage than the urine test. This is the only test that shows whether a person is under the influence of a drug that he has just taken. This type of testing also has the added feature of being able to ascertain drug usage within the last 6 hours, something other tests could not do. The only single preparation a testee needs is to refrain from any eating and drinking for at least 1 hour prior to having the oral swab taken. Most employees prefer this test as it involves merely a swab between the cheek and lower gum which allows oral saliva to be collected onto the cotton padding of the swab. These tests can be used in any remote job locations. Employers can always choose to hire someone on the spot, thanks to the efficiency and accuracy of these tests, if they wish. There do not have to be any restroom facilities available at the test site. No private rooms are ever needed and no private monitor is necessary to document the authenticity of the oral saliva collection procedure. There are some of these oral fluid collection test kits which will allow the testing of multiple people at one time. Technology, time management and cost effectiveness rolled up into one efficient kit. These tests are also available for home use.

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