MADD Focuses on Drugged Driving

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), in partnership with the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), launched a new campaign focusing on raising awareness of the risks involved with drugged driving. According to the ONDCP, the number of deadly crashes in which drugs played a role jumped by five percent in the last five years.

Researchers at Columbia University came to a similar conclusion in a meta-analysis of nine studies. Their findings suggest that driving within three hours of smoking marijuana doubles the risk of being involved in a car accident. The study also found that the chances of an accident increase as the amount of marijuana found in the driver’s system rises.

Over 40 percent of drivers testing positive for marijuana who die in crashes are less than 25 years old. Mindful of this fact, MADD’S campaign focuses on educating parents and teens about drugged driving. Part of the campaign includes a Drugged Driving Toolkit containing tips for parents of teenage drivers and suggestions to help the teens themselves deal with the peer pressure they often receive to try drugs.

Tags: alcohol abuse, drug abuse, drug abuse prevention, drug and driving, drugged driving

How Long Between First Abuse and Treatment?

A recent report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) revealed that 669,000 Americans received their initial treatment for substance abuse last year. The study showed that, on average, over 15 years passed between the time when individuals first started using and when they first sought treatment.

The numbers analyzed were from SAMHSA’s Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), a system that tracks data in treatment facilities throughout the nation. The study showed that males took longer than females to get help. Men averaged 16.5 years between use and treatment, while women averaged 13.8 years. In terms of substances, alcohol had the largest gap at a little over 20 years. The lag was shortest for prescription painkillers at 7.8 years.

Treatment plans for substance abuse are part of a comprehensive drug-free workplace programs that Working Partners will help research and implement in your organization.

Tags: alcohol abuse, alcohol safety

Drug and Alcohol Use Increased in 2010

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released its 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) in September. The study included data from 67,500 respondents aged 12 and older, making it one of the most significant studies in the field of drug abuse. Key findings include:

• Illicit drug use continued to grow among 18 to 25 year olds.  In 2008, almost 20 percent surveyed in this demographic reported using, compared to 21.2 percent in 2009 and 21.5 in 2010.

• The rates of both heavy and binge drinking in 2010 were similar to the 2009 rates. Twenty-three percent of respondents reported binge drinking (i.e. consuming five or more drinks on an occasion within 30 days of the study) and 6.7 percent drank “heavily” (i.e. binge drinking on at least five days in the past 30 days).

The study also found a rise in marijuana use.  As the most popular drug, with 17.4 million users, marijuana use increased from 5.8 to 6.9 percent.  The percentage of 18 to 25 year olds using marijuana also increased from 16.5 percent in 2008 to 18.5 percent in 2010.

This increasing trend projects a negative forecast for U.S. businesses.  The affects of drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace can have detrimental consequences for both the individual and the business. Learn how a drug-free workplace program can help reduce the impact on your business.

Tags: alcohol abuse, drug abuse, drug abuse prevention

Binge Drinking’s U.S. Price Tag

A study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that in 2006 excessive alcohol consumption cost the United States $223.5B, roughly $1.90 per drink. Binge drinking accounted for approximately 75 percent of the costs.

The study defined binge drinking as four or more drinks in an occasion for women, and five or more drinks in an occasion for men. Excessive drinking was classified as averaging one or more drinks per day for women, and more than two per day for men.

CDC researchers reported that employers paid the largest portion of the costs (72 percent) because of subpar job performance associated with excessive/binge drinking. Health care expenses totaled 11 percent, and criminal justice expenses and motor vehicle crash costs came in at nine and six percent respectively.

The study found that local, city and state governments paid almost 42 percent of the bill, while drinkers and their families picked up the remainder of the tab.

Educating your employees is paramount to nipping a serious alcohol problem before it starts. Working Partners hosts drug-free safety webinars for business looking to implement a drug-free workplace program.

Tags: alcohol abuse, alcohol free workplace, alcohol in workplace, alcohol safety, binge drinking

State-Mandated Rx Monitoring

The focus on state-mandated prescription-monitoring programs has been well documented in recent months. These programs were enacted to cut down on “doctor shopping” by patients seeking pain medication and over-prescribing by disreputable physicians. This focus should reduce the supply of illegal prescription drugs and decrease workplace drug abuse.

Some states are also demanding that doctors participate in the solution to the painkiller abuse epidemic in other ways. Currently, certain doctors in California, Florida, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee and West Virginia must complete continuing medical education courses in the areas of pain management and controlled substance prescriptions. In Ohio, the requirement pertains to doctors who work in clinics where 50 percent of the patient roster is treated with opioids.

The creation of these mandates is timely; especially considering prescription drug overdoses claimed more American lives in 2009 than fatal car crashes. As overdoses increase, physicians are also facing criminal charges for overprescribing painkillers. Although some doctors, like the five in Florida who allegedly participated in a distribution ring, are thought to have criminal intent, others may face charges for making poor clinical decisions. A majority of the 37 criminal cases brought against doctors from 2001 to 2011 were done so under the Controlled Substances Act. To be found guilty, it must be demonstrated that the doctor prescribed medication for uses other than legitimate medical reason or uses beyond accepted medical practices.

Tags: prescription drug abuse, Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month, rx abuse

Medical Marijuana Linked to Higher Overall Usage

Currently 16 states have laws on the books allowing medicinal use of marijuana. However, two recent studies show that these measures may have an unintended consequence. The first study, appearing in Annals of Epidemiology, reported that 8.6 percent of youths between the ages of 12 and 17 in states with medicinal laws use marijuana. States without these laws, however, have a lower usage rate of 6.9 percent. Another recent study found that medical marijuana states have two times the abuse or dependency rates of those without. Although there appears to be a correlation, neither study explores causation.

Tags: drug abuse prevention, drug awareness, medical marijuana