Creating a Drug Testing Policy

Creating a Drug Testing Policy in your company is extremely important. The policy can be as simple as "subject to randoms and any employee with a positive drug tests without a legitimate medical explanation is terminated immediately". Without a policy you can subject yourself to lengthy court battle between the employee and the company. First Choice can help you build this policy. We also recommend a free service through the Department of Labor's website that can help you build an effective policy. It is important your employees understand the policy and sign something saying they've received it and understand it. To build your policy please visit http://www.dol.gov/elaws/drugfree.htm.

Addiction Can Take Anyone No Matter Who You Are.

I don't know if it is appropriate or not for me to post someones obituary on a blog but for my line of work I felt that it was something I couldn't go without sharing. Drugs can effect anyone. You can be at any age, any gender, any race, or any class to become a victim of overdosing and abuse. I do not know this kid but I can read that his parents had a purpose for his obituary. It was a message to everyone that no matter who you are, if you get mixed with the wrong crowd or make the wrong choices, you too can be victim of drug abuse and overdose. Patrick's parents did all they could for him but in the end, he wasn't strong enough to fight the addiction. Drugs are real and people are struggling. If you know someone who might benefit from this, please send it to them.

Erin Hunt

Obituary
OBITUARY SUBMITTED BY:
Ruebel Funeral Home

Patrick Andrew Clemmons
Little Rock, AR
1990 - 2011

Published: January 8, 2011

Patrick Andrew Clemmons, age 20, of Little Rock, was found dead on the morning of January 6, 2011 at the apartment of a young man in downtown Little Rock. He was the victim of a likely heroin overdose. Somewhere between school and scouts, graphic arts and swimming, wrestling and the local music scene, Patrick picked up a bad habit that ultimately killed him. His drug problem has impacted our last three Christmas seasons, and this morning has cost us our beloved son. Patrick was born December 20, 1990 and had just turned 20 in rehab. We have been well pleased with his recent progress, but we knew he was at risk. He returned home Dec. 28, and after 77 days "clean", joined us for New Years Day with several of our friends. He had been putting in job applications and looking for a place to live. When he heard they were hiring at Victoria's Secret, he quit looking anywhere else. We last spoke to him yesterday afternoon. He declined to visit his counselor with his Mom but confirmed an appointment for today. Patrick attended Episcopal Collegiate School where he was a 2008 State Wrestling Champion in the 130 pound small school division, and had been the only member of the swim team. Swimming conditioned him to wrestle better than football conditioned his opponents. Patrick was a Commended National Merit Scholar. But he did not graduate as scheduled in 2009. Nevertheless, on the strength of his ACT scores, he received a sizable Dean's scholarship to UALR, but dropped out last fall when his difficulties with life began to worsen. Patrick earned his Eagle Scout at Troop 30 in 2004, which has been a big part of our lives since 1997. He had been a Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow and attended NOAC in 2004, had been to the National Jamboree in 2005, had been to Philmont in 2006. He had been successful as a young artist and won several awards, and spent a summer program at California College of the Arts in 2007. In 2008, he completed a 30 day program of winter-style backpacking at 10,000 feet in the Absoraka Wilderness with NOLS. 30 days in the snow with the same boots on. It is hard to imagine how a young person finds drugs despite all the time and effort we invest to protect them from drugs and push them back in the right direction. But Patrick began to experiment with marijuana, and soon moved to LSD, opiates, benzodiazepine, and the rest. We began to note changes in his behavior in 2007, but he worked especially hard to help himself during 2008, and 2009. He always had a job and stayed highly active during this time. However, 2010 had been particularly challenging for him and for us. He was a tower of will, but weak to temptation. He was bright and witty, but not smart enough sometimes. He was fearless and friendly, but too careless for comfort. He was thoughtful, when he thought things through, but often impulsive. He was like most of us, only different. He will always be our Eagle Scout wrestling champion, and will serve as an example of how the same life which offers us so much can sometimes touch us in a vulnerable spot. We pray God smiles on him today and wraps his arms around us, too.

Patrick is predeceased by his grandfathers, Earl H. Clemmons Jr., and E. Ray Day, and Uncle John T. Haskins. Patrick is survived by his parents, Skip Clemmons, Susan Day and brother, Colin Clemmons. In addition, his Grandmothers, Bennye Clemmons of Little Rock, Ellen Day of Greensboro, N.C., Uncles Russell Day (Nancy Alex), Patrick Day (Jane) and Cousin Jolie Day all of Carrboro, N.C.. Cousin Olivia Day, of Denver, Colo., Aunt Evelyn Day of Chattanooga, Tenn., Uncle Neil Clemmons (Chris) and cousins, Alex and Shannon Clemmons of Wilmette, Ill.; Aunt Rose Gladner (Neal) of Little Rock; Aunt Jane Clemmons of SanFrancisco, Calif.; Aunt Heidi Haskins; cousins, Kelli and Blaine Buck of Malvern, Ark., Meaghan Gladner of New Orleans, La., Janet Gladner of Fayetteville, Ark. and a host of other relatives.

Visitation will be held at Ruebel Funeral Home on Sunday, January 9, 2011 from 5 to 7 p.m., with a Rosary service to be held immediately following at 7 p.m. A memorial service will be held on Monday, January 10th at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Holy Souls Catholic Church with Father Erik Pohlmeier officiating. In lieu of flowers, please make memorials to Boy Scouts of America Troop 30, c/o St Paul Methodist Church, 2223 Durwood Rd., LR, Episcopal Collegiate School Foundation, 1701 Cantrell Road, LR, 72201, or Centers for Youth and Families, 5905 Forest Place, Suite 200, Little Rock, Ark. 72207. Cremation arrangements by Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.

Celebrating 5 Years!

As many of my colleagues know I love doing what I do. I was very lucky 5 years to receive an offer to work in this industry. What started out as a simple assistant job has now expanded into a trusted opinion and educator in the industry. I've now decided to continue my education with receiving my degree in Sociology at the University of Arkansas so that I can continue to learn more about the people we drug test, the companies we represent, and the legal situations we are involved in. My long term goal is to work with strengthening the rules and regulations of drug testing in the state of Arkansas as well as working with schools on education and awareness. I'm very lucky to be at First Choice because it gives me the flexibility to learn, teach, and work. I've worked with some amazing people through my journey in drug testing who are still mentors to me today. Not only have most of our competitors worked with me but they too are mentors and very well respected by me. I appreciate everyone that has gotten me this far (good or bad) and hope that my future stays bright within this industry. Looking forward to many more years to come!

Erin Hunt

First Choice Welcomes Dr. Jim Bryan

First Choice would like to welcome our newest team member! Dr. Jim Bryan comes to us with much accreditation and experience. Dr. Bryan is the Little Rock areas only certified 1st class FAA Flight Physical doctor. He has chosen First Choice as his home to continue service with his current patients as well as new patients. We are extremely excited to have him! At this time Dr. Bryan is only scheduling physicals on Wednesday evenings after 5 pm. As soon as his schedule expands we will post it on our website. To schedule a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd class flight physical please contact First Choice at 501-661-9992.

New DOT Regulations For Drug Testing

We've been so busy the last 2 months getting things ready for the new DOT regulations that I haven't posted a thing. What I thought would be a simple switch ended up changing a lot of things! Not only did we welcome the new substances MDMA (ecstasy) and 6 MAM (heroin)but we are now adjusting to the lowered the amphetamine levels as well. DOT is now also requiring the laboratories to report and keep track of each entity. So a DOT drug test can no longer just be a DOT test. It has to be marked as FMCSA, USCG, PHMSA, FAA, or FTA. This is not a huge step but it is something we must be conscience of. First Choice is constantly receiving updates from DOT and DATIA to remind of us of any changes that need to be made. Looking forward to a great year in 2011!

Is Pre-Employment Alcohol Testing a Bad Idea?

One blogger seems to think so. Read below the article I found:

Why Pre-employment alcohol testing is such a bad idea:

The use of drugs and alcohol in the workplace and by the work force is costing American corporations billions of dollars in lost productivity, accidents, and excess health care costs. Many organizations are now using pre-employment tests in an attempt to minimize their exposure to substance abuse. This trend is especially evident in the transportation industry, where federal regulations require that individuals who hold or apply for "safety sensitive" positions complete pre-employment breath alcohol tests.(1)

Although eliminating alcohol and other drugs of abuse from the workplace is a worthy goal, pre-employment alcohol testing will do little to advance it. To understand why pre-employment alcohol testing is unlikely to work, it is necessary to consider what these tests actually measure, the failure rates for these tests, and how the costs of such tests stack up against the probable benefits.

ALCOHOL TESTING METHODS

Alcohol testing technologies can be broken down into two general categories. A number of bioassay methods use breath, urine, blood, saliva, or hair samples to provide evidence for the presence or absence of alcohol in the bloodstream. An alternative is to use behavioral assessments to detect and diagnose drug or alcohol-related impairment.

Breath alcohol analysis is the method of choice in a number of settings, such as law enforcement and the transportation industry. Current generation breath-alcohol analyzers generally have excellent accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and selectivity or specificity for ethanol in breath samples. Studies have demonstrated significant relationships between breath alcohol and impairment of driving skills, hand steadiness, eye movements, and subjective feelings of intoxication. Urine testing (using gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry) is considered one of the most reliable and valid methods of testing for drugs and alcohol in urine, yielding accuracy levels of 99.7 percent when conducted in labs by qualified personnel. However, several reviews--Sonnestuhl et al. (1987), Loomis (1990), and Normand, Lempert, and O'Brien (1994)-suggest that urinalysis results do not indicate the quantity of alcohol consumed, when it was consumed, or whether the subject is a chronic abuser of the drug.

Rather than inferring blood alcohol concentration on the basis of breath or urine samples, it might be preferable to directly measure the level of alcohol in a person's bloodstream. Analysis of blood samples for drugs or their metabolytes involves relatively invasive collection methods, requires trained personnel to perform the collection, and requires more sophisticated analysis techniques than urine testing. However, because of the strong relationship between blood alcohol levels and the effects of alcohol on the nervous system, most experts regard blood tests for alcohol as the forensic benchmark against which other methods should be validated.

Saliva has also been shown to be an appropriate specimen for determining the presence of alcohol. This method typically involves collecting samples on strips or swabs that turn various colors when exposed to alcohol. However, cutoff levels that would provide reliable measurement of either the presence of alcohol or alcohol-related impairment using saliva samples have not yet been established.

Another biologically based testing technology involves analyses of hair samples. Trace amounts of drug molecules that have circulated through the blood stream will be found in the follicle of the hair in amounts that are roughly proportional to those ingested. Further, such drug traces will remain in the hair as it grows and are not likely to diminish over time. Unlike detection in urine or blood, detection of drug or alcohol use in hair analysis cannot be avoided by abstention for days prior to the test or by attempts at adulteration.

Unlike bioassay methods, behavioral techniques are intended to assess level of impairment rather than mere exposure. The Drug Evaluation and Classification Program (DEC) is the most commonly used behavioral assessment. It is designed to determine whether an individual is impaired, the likely cause of the impairment (drags, medical condition, and so forth), and, if impairment is drug-related, the likely category or combination of drugs involved.

The DEC examination typically includes a breath-alcohol test, eye examination for horizontal and vertical nystagmus (involuntary twitching) as well as convergence (or lack thereof), divided attention psychological tests, vital sign examination, pupillary size and responsiveness evaluation, evaluation of muscle tone, and examination for injection sites. DEC may have potential application in the work context in "reasonable cause" situations as a way to identify performance decrements and to confirm whether the identified problems are caused by drug or alcohol use on the job.

A variety of computer-based behavioral tests have also been developed to evaluate impairment due to drug or alcohol use. Such tests generally assess an individual's ability to detect or discriminate different stimuli, motor ability, psychomotor skill, learning, memory, and decision making. Behavioral assessment techniques are most effective when the subject is highly impaired and have limited effectiveness when used to identify low-dose impairment.

To Read more visit http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1038/is_n5_v38/ai_17565145/

We are on a roll!

Things are looking up! I've been in contact with one Senator who believes we are on the right track! We are close to getting heads to turn on this drug epidemic in our schools! I found a website that gives statistics on teens and prescription drugs that I believe every parent should read.

1. Nearly one in five (19 percent or 4.5 million) teens has tried prescription medication to get high
2. Every day, 2500 kids age 12 to 17 try a painkiller for the first time
3. The vast majority of teens abusing prescription drugs are getting them from the medicine cabinets of friends, family, and acquaintances
4. It has been shown that most teens and young adults who use prescription opiates begin their use by experimenting with pills found in medicine cabinets at home
5. Because these drugs are so readily available, and many teens believe they are a safe way to get high, teens who wouldn't otherwise touch illicit drugs might abuse prescription drugs- and not many parents are talking to them about it
6. Drug treatment admissions for prescription painkillers increased more than 300 percent from 1995 to 2005
7. Opioid analgesic ER visits increased 117% over the last decade, and the death rate surpassed that of heroin and cocaine. This behavior cuts across geographic, racial, ethnic and socioeconomic boundaries
8. Prescription drug abuse has exceeded use of illicit narcotics in parts of Europe, Africa, and South Asia
9. 2.3 million kids age 12 to 17 abused prescription drugs in 2003
10. Teens abuse prescription drugs more than any illicit street drug except marijuana
11. Prescription drugs are the drugs of choice for 12 and 13 year olds
12. 1 in 5 teens say they have taken a prescription drug without having a prescription for it themselves
13. 60% of teens who have abused prescription painkillers did so before age 15
14. There are as many new abusers age 12 to 17 of prescription drugs as there are of marijuana
15. Two in five teens (40 percent or 9.4 million) agree that Rx medicines, even if they are not prescribed by a doctor, are “much safer” to use than illegal drugs
16. Nearly one-third of teens (31 percent or 7.3 million) believe there’s “nothing wrong” with using Rx medicines without a prescription “once in a while"
17. Nearly three out of 10 teens (29 percent or 6.8 million) believe prescription pain relievers – even if not prescribed by a doctor – are not addictive
(www.medsafeglobal.com)

Those are enough statistics to convince anyone that something has to be done fast!