Legalized Marijuana

With the legalization of marijuana becoming more widespread, as more and more states are passing laws to legalize the use of recreational marijuana, the big question becomes……

        Does Workplace Drug Testing Work?

Attitudes towards drug use can vary greatly, especially with ongoing changes to state legislation surrounding the distribution and consumption of marijuana. Some people are asking, is the war on drugs over? Has the time come for employers to relax their hiring policies, or even their random testing, to more closely align with the changing landscape of drug use? Here are some facts, which may provide clarity into these and other questions about workplace drug testing.

But remember, just because recreational marijuana is legal in your state, that does NOT mean that employers have to allow its use on the job or even on your own private time off the job.

Information and facts come from Bob McCormick on April 15, 2016 from Quest Diagnostics newsletter.

Acetyl Fentanyl - The New Drug

WATCH OUT FOR THIS NEW DRUG: Acetyl Fentanyl

     Acetyl fentanyl is a powerful prescription painkiller called fentanyl.  This drug is being mixed with heroin as a painkiller.  Studies have shown that fentanyl is 15 times more potent than morphine.

     Some of the side effects of this drug include:  Mood Changes, Breathing Issues, Problems to Swallow and that makes it easier to Choke since you are Unable to Cough.

     Emergency room doctors may soon see larger numbers of patients who appear to have overdosed on heroin, but have actually taken the drug acetyl fentanyl.  Our emergency staff, which include, Firemen, EMS, and Emergency Room at the hospital use an anti-dote called, Naloxone.  Naloxone is given to those who over dose on heroin.  But, if a person takes the street drug fentanyl, the dosage of naloxone would have to be doubled in order to work as an anti-dote.  Unfortunately, this double dosage does not always work because fentanyl is so strong.

Legally, acetyl fentanyl is in a gray area, because it is packaged and labeled, “Not for Human Consumption”, which with this particular labeling, it is not regulated. This presents legal loopholes that drug distributors use to make a profit by mixing a highly regulated drug, such as heroin, with a less-regulated one, such as acetyl fentanyl. 

     So, how and why do people use this drug??

     For many people, opiate addiction happens when a person is injured or hurt badly and needs something to kill the pain.  Opiates are used as pain relievers that our doctors give to those who maybe have broken their leg or arm, maybe injured their spine or other parts of their bodies. Then, they begin to realize that these prescription pain killers make them feel good and relaxed.  But, when they can no longer get the drug from their doctor, they turn to the streets for this relaxed and no guilt feeling it gives. At this point, they are now hooked on these opiate drugs.

     How sad it is that so many of us cannot handle the stresses of today’s world that we just want to escape somehow.  Once we are addicted to opiates of any form, it is very difficult to break ourselves from them.  Withdrawing from opiates can be very hard because the symptoms can last for many weeks.  Some of the withdrawal symptoms include: agitation-having no patients with circumstances of life or people, insomnia-not being able to sleep well, muscle aches and pains, stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and other flulike symptoms.  So, with all this going on in your body, you only just want to feel good again and so you go back to the drug that makes you feel better.

Many drug treatment centers specialize in providing medications to improve the comfort of those who are going through withdrawal related to opiate addiction.  If a person is more comfortable, there is a much more chance they will succeed in withdrawing from opiates.

RECOGNIZING THE SYMPTOMS OF ALCOHOL ABUSE

RECOGNIZING THE SYMPTOMS OF ALCOHOL ABUSE

What can a person look like when they are drunk with alcohol?

Let’s look at the Behavior of a person who has had too much to drink:

·         Stumbling and Clumsy

·         Lethargic

·         Agitated and easily distracted

·         Tremors

Then we also have the other ways of telling that someone is drunk, like Appearances:

·         Flushed Complexion

·         Sweating, cold, clammy skin

·         Large, dilated pupils, could have bloodshot eyes

·         Unkempt grooming

The other Indicator of Alcohol Abuse is in the person’s Speech:

·         Slurred and thick

·         Loud and Boisterous

·         Excessive talking

·         Incoherent

 The first thing that might become obvious immediately are the Smells:

·         Offensive body odors, both breath and the body itself.

·         Something to know:  a chronic drinker (one who drinks heavily daily), will sweat out the odor through his skin on a regular basis.  If a person goes out drinking for one night and gets drunk, he may sweat it out the next day.  The body processes alcohol using every organ in the body, so unless it is flushed out with lots of water, it will come out in sweat and odor through the skin.

HOW CAN THIS HELP YOU?

If you are at work, or just out on the town, and you run into someone like this, you will know to start watching them for safety reasons, both yours and theirs.  Being around someone who could become violent, or make bad decisions, because they are not thinking clearly, can lead to physical harm.

If you are hanging out with someone you know is a drinker, these are some things to watch out for.

If someone you are around has any of the above actions, pay close attention; this could be important.