tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339736662024-03-07T20:09:37.064-08:00CSI: St. LouisUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-30892336366642164132007-05-03T08:02:00.000-07:002007-05-03T08:06:45.402-07:00Pot Potency DoublesA new report released by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) says the average potency of marijuana has doubled since 1983. Parents thinking that teenage pot experimentation is no big deal may want to reconsider. As the Drug Czar put it, "This isn't your father's marijuana."<br /><br />Get the full story <a href="http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press07/042507_2.html">here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-9071635225067364792007-03-27T08:28:00.000-07:002007-03-27T08:32:42.030-07:00IDS Press Release<strong>St. Louis Company Makes Drug Users Sweat</strong> <br /><em>Recent shocking study on drug activity in the workplace has employers seeking alternative solutions to protect employees and clients.</em><br /><br />In 2006, The National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 10.6 percent of full-time employees aged 18-64 were classified as having a substance abuse disorder. This implies that approximately 20 million employees in America demonstrate potentially high-risk behaviors that pose dangerous health, safety and security concerns.<br /><br />Finding cost-effective, non-invasive and reliable surveillance methods is the mission of Integrity Detection Systems (IDS), a high-tech company based in St. Louis. IDS offers revolutionary drug detection services as well as training for companies interested in implementing stronger anti-drug programs.<br /><br />IDS utilizes biosensor technology with PreScreen and DrugWipe. These testing devices detect invisible drug residue present in the sweat of drug users and traffickers who have been in contact with illegal substances. The self-contained labs are a mere five-inches long, provide results in less than 5 minutes and simultaneously detect the presence of cannabis, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines and derivatives such as Meth or Ecstasy. <br /><br />PreScreen analyzes samples taken directly from a person’s skin, while DrugWipe tests surfaces of equipment people come into contact with. Results from both tests are legally defensible and have been found to be 100 percent reliable in research conducted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.<br />“There are just too many ways for drug users and traffickers to evade detection using traditional screening methods,” says Bill Rau, CEO of IDS. “Companies need to protect their integrity without offending employees or making awkward accusations. We offer discreet, economical and reliable methods of internally monitoring illegal drug activity.”<br /><br />IDS offers proactive solutions to organizations, specifically schools and businesses, that want to realistically confront drug activity. Blackwell Professional Support Services (BPSS), Inc., the award-winning security personnel provider, is an example of a company that has hired IDS to train three staff members to administer pre-employment, random, post-incident and for-cause testing on security personnel using PreScreen.<br /><br />Wade Blackwell, president of BPSS, hopes to reinforce the company’s zero-tolerance policy for drugs in the workplace and raise awareness of the cutting-edge technology available to businesses. BPSS will also offer clients the ability to request on-site testing. In this situation, a technician from IDS will be deployed as an independent third party to screen BPSS personnel and provide results directly to clients. <br /><br />“I predict only success from the services IDS will provide,” says Blackwell. “Identifying the presence of drug use or trafficking supports our commitment to providing 100 percent drug-free workplaces which, in turn, guarantees safer environments for clients.”<br /><br />Integrity Detection Systems is a forensic narcotics company that offers innovative and discreet solutions for confronting illegal drug use and trafficking. For more information about Integrity Detection Systems visit <a href="http://www.integritydetection.com">www.integritydetection.com</a> or call 314-882-6000.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-75105263287896794242007-03-06T09:12:00.000-08:002007-03-06T09:18:40.681-08:00Is Drug Testing Teenagers a Bad Idea?The American Academy of Pediatrics released a <a href="http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=91991EC9A7DC08F047A200DF0C0A7AF0">policy statement</a> yesterday saying that drug testing teenagers at home or at school is generally a bad idea. <br /><br />I agree. <br /><br />However, if you look the AAP’s concerns closely, it wasn't so much the idea of drug testing teens that was the problem. It's the urine tests schools and parents use to conduct the testing that's the problem. The AAP pointed to problems with false positives and false negatives, teens using the web to get information on how to beat the urine tests, and a short window of detection (most drugs only stay in the system for just a few days after use).<br /><br />I first read the report when a friend of mine e-mailed me a link to a story about it saying "this probably isn't good for your business." Actually, I think it's GREAT for our business. <br /><br />That’s because most of the concerns the AAP raises about drug testing teenagers are eliminated by using <a href="http://www.TestMyHomeForDrugs.com">DrugWipe</a>. <br /><br />False positives and false negatives? Not an issue a DrugWipe. <br /><br />Teenagers beating the drug tests? Not with DrugWipe. Parents use DrugWipe to swipe down surfaces their kids have touched when the kids aren't even around. There’s no room for any adulteration or substitution. <br /><br />Short detection window? DrugWipe can detect drug residue on surfaces up to three months after use.<br /><br />Another main issue that the AAP brings up is that drug testing can create a climate of “resentment, distrust, and suspicion” between a parent (or school) and a teenager.<br /><br />There may be some truth to that, but isn’t that about par for the course when it comes to teenagers? Eventually, they’ll get over it. <br /><br />That type of argument reminds me of something I’ve heard from a number of drug treatment specialists. They say “if you ask parents whose teenagers have battled drug addictions, they all wished they had intervened sooner, rather than later or not at all.” When it comes to drug use, there's simply too much at stake to worry about offending your teen.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-2273485631463319892007-03-05T08:36:00.000-08:002007-03-05T09:11:40.205-08:00Video of 2 and 5 year old smoking potThis sickening video is making the rounds on TV. It shows a 2 and 5 year old being taught how to smoke marijuana by their 17 year old uncle and his 18 year old friend. Both the uncle and his friend have, fortunately, been arrested.<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SPgKZOfG89Q" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br /><br /><br />After getting over the shock of this video, I started thinking of yet another potential use for <a href="http://www.integritydetection.com/drugwipe.html">DrugWipe</a>. Parents can use to make sure that those taking care of their children are not using illegal drugs.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-88232790081101223982007-02-28T11:06:00.000-08:002007-02-28T11:33:10.167-08:00What a Load of Crop!<p>A few months ago a report came out calling marijuana the biggest cash crop in the United States. The report estimates that over $35 billion worth of marijuana is produced in this country each year. That's more than the value of corn and wheat combined.</p><p>The <a href="http://www.drugscience.org/bcr/index.html">report</a>, written by marijuana reform activist Jon Getteman, cites a 2005 State Department report which estimates U.S. cannabis cultivation at more than 22 million pounds. </p><p>I've noticed a number of news stories recently about house and apartment fires caused by marijuana grow operations. I've also noticed a lot of stories about law enforcement discovering grow operations in well-to-do neighborhoods. It seems growers are paying cash for homes in these nice neighborhoods and turning these large homes into marijuana farms. Based on Mr. Getteman's report, it seems like they're growing a lot of it!<br /><br />So it's not just meth you have to worry about when it comes to drugs and real estate.</p><p> </p><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-73835763000853147342007-02-26T08:30:00.000-08:002007-02-26T08:53:35.143-08:00Leaky Drug TestingHere's an investigative report about the problems of urine testing from a Minnesota TV station. The video can be viewed <a href="http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=2433333&version=1&locale=EN-US">here</a>. The story can be read <a href="http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=2433696&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1">here</a>.<br /><br />The technology that certified labs use to conduct urine tests good, accurate technology. But if lab personnel aren't following the proper guidelines to insure urine samples are not being adulterated, or substituted with clean urine, what good are these tests doing??? Garbage in, garbage out.<br /><br />Many companies who do extensive urine testing of their employees are often shocked when a facility-wide audit with <a href="http://www.integritydetection.com/drugwipe.html">DrugWipe</a> indicates widespread drug use. After seeing a story like this one about the "leaks" in the system, they shouldn't be.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-37739887776243681142007-02-19T20:44:00.000-08:002007-02-19T21:32:57.240-08:00Beating a drug test with an Elmer's Glue bottleYes, our <a href="http://idsdrugtesting.blogspot.com/2007/02/drug-test-with-twist_13.html">video</a> is really based on a true story. Here it is . . .<br /><br />The story came to us from someone who works at an oil refinery. There was a worker there, a frequent drug user, who had an interesting morning ritual. Every morning, when he got dressed he would strap an Elmer's Glue bottle to the inside of his thigh with an ace bandage. The Elmer's Glue bottle was filled with clean urine (usually drug users either buy clean urine over the internet or get it from a friend or family member). Whenever he got pulled for a drug test, he provided a sample that looked and sounded like an actual urine stream and was the appropriate temperature for fresh urine (labs will often test the temperature of urine samples to try to catch those providing fake samples).<br /><br />This guy got away with it for a couple of years. The only reason he eventually got caught was that his wife got fed up with his drug addiction and called to tell her husband's supervisor what was going on. If she hadn't done that, he'd probably still be getting away with it today. That is providing he didn't kill himself and/or someone else in the interim.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-22208960461720509062007-02-13T20:52:00.001-08:002007-02-22T07:36:26.568-08:00"A Drug Test With a Twist"<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/X5e0R0msmMk"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/X5e0R0msmMk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><p><strong>Check out the new IDS video, "A Drug Test With a Twist" (click the video screen above to view it). We didn't have $7.8 million to run it during the Super Bowl, so we decided to post it on the internet (for considerably less money) instead!<br><br />You can also view our video at any of the following sites by clicking on a link below:</strong><br><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5e0R0msmMk">YouTube </a><br /><a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4354006522345088741">Google</a><br /><a href="http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=a54b6f8bf6311aa55b5b89717d5f12b5.1934022">Yahoo!</a></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-49605131703199513852007-02-09T21:48:00.000-08:002007-02-08T21:56:24.906-08:00<strong><span style="font-size:180%;">DROP IN DRUG USE????</span></strong><br /><br />According to this <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-02-09-drug-use_x.htm?csp=34">AP article</a>, the Drug Czar John Walters is reporting that illegal drug use has dropped sharply since 2001. He cites numbers from a University of Michigan study conducted for the National Institute for Substance Abuse that show a 23% drop in drug use among teenagers. Walters credits drug testing for much of this decline. He also reports that drug use among "older people" dropping as well. <br /><br />I <a href="http://idsdrugtesting.blogspot.com/2007/01/this-is-your-brain-on-drugs-dad-quick.html">blogged</a> about studies like this not too long ago. As much as I'd like to believe drug use is dropping in this country, I just can't fathom there's much truth to those numbers. <br /><br />Spending a good bit of my time swiping down businesses, homes, and schools with <a href="http://www.integritydetection.com/drugwipe.html">DrugWipe</a> and talking to business owners, parents, and school officials about the drug problems they're grappling with, it would be a VERY scary thought that drug use is on the decline. And even if there is some truth to the numbers in this study, we still have a LONG way to go!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-9084400210998433922007-02-08T21:36:00.000-08:002007-02-08T21:55:09.745-08:00<strong><span style="font-size:180%;">24 Things Drug Users Take To Beat a Drug Test</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;"></span></strong><br />Drug use is a way of life. So is drug testing. Where the two meet, there's a never-ending Cat and Mouse game between the users and the testers. It's enlightening reading through message boards where drug users share information about how to beat these tests. Here's a list of 24 things I came across in just a few minutes of skimming the message board thread <a href="http://idsdrugtesting.blogspot.com/2007/01/how-to-pass-drug-test-think-youre.html">I posted about recently:</a><br /><br /><ol><li>water</li><li>fishoil</li><li>niacin</li><li>Tums</li><li>salt</li><li>Cranberry pills</li><li>Green tea pills</li><li>multi-vitamin pills</li><li>aspirin pills</li><li>creatine pills</li><li>exercise</li><li>Mountain Dew</li><li>Gatorade</li><li>Powerade</li><li>beer</li><li>coffee</li><li>Qcarbo juice drink</li><li>McDonald's cheeseburgers</li><li>Philly cheesesteaks</li><li>lysine</li><li>Vitamin B</li><li>Vitamin C</li><li>Vitamin E</li><li>apple cider vinegar</li></ol><p>There were seemingly infinite combinations of which items listed above were used and how much of each item was used. These people have this down to a science. And I didn't even get into the things users do to smuggle "clean" urine in for a drug test. That's another post in itself.</p><p>Wouldn't you think it would just be easier not to use drugs in the first place?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-17534824000261744492007-01-30T14:54:00.000-08:002007-01-30T15:00:47.768-08:00<span style="font-size:180%;">How To Pass a Drug Test</span><br /><br />Think you're getting accurate results with that urine test you're using on your teen or employee? <br /><br />The technology you're using is pretty sound, especially when a certified lab is administering the test. However, drug users are pretty savvy. <strong>Substitution and adulteration</strong> are the most common tricks they use to "beat" traditional drug tests. And the frequent users, the ones who generally pose the greatest risk to themselves, and others, are the ones that have these tricks down to a science. <br /><br />Don't take my word for it, though. <a href="http://www.marijuana.com/420/urine-testing/42113-results-thread.html">Take theirs</a>. Keep in mind this is just one thread, from message board topic, from one website.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-16697040409742363452007-01-03T11:42:00.000-08:002007-01-03T12:17:20.744-08:00<span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON DRUGS, DAD</strong></span><br /><br />Quick Quiz: What demographic group is responsible for the largest increase in drug use and related violence in the U.S.?<br /><br />There’s an interesting Op-Ed in today’s New York Times about the "explosion" of drug use in this country that answers that very question. The piece, written by Mike Males, a senior researcher at the <a href="http://www.cjcj.org">Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice</a>, takes issue with the annual <a href="http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/">Monitoring the Future survey </a>on drug use that indicates a big drop in teenage drug use. The Monitoring the Future survey is based on self-reported behaviors related to drug use by teenagers. I've always wondered how accurate these studies, which rely on the honesty of those filling out the questionnaires, actually are. Especially in this case where you have teenagers completing questionnaires about illegal activities. <br /><br />Mr. Males says a better system of tracking drug abuse is needed. He suggests using “largely ignored data" from drug related deaths, hospital emergency rooms, and crime statistics. In the article he points to some data from these categories that paint a very different picture than the one in the Monitoring the Future survey. I've highlighted some of these findings below, but first . . .<br /><br />. . . which group is responsible for the largest increase in drug use and related crime in the U.S.? Teenagers? Inner-city minority groups? Wrong! White, middle aged Americans are the fastest growing population of drug users in the U.S. Not exactly the “stereotypical” drug user that most of us have in our heads.<br /><br />Here’s a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/opinion/03males.html?em&ex=1167973200&en=ddf8d708e608979d&ei=5070">link to the article</a> (registration required) and the promised highlights, if you can call them that:<br /><br />1. While the Monitoring the Future study shows a drop in teenage drug use over the past decade, the National Center for Health Statistics reports that teenage deaths from illicit drug use has tripled over the same period.<br /><br />2. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the number of Americans dying from illegal drug abuse has increased by 400 percent over the past two decades, reaching a record 28,000 in 2004.<br /><br />3. F.B.I. data shows that drug arrests reached an all-time high of 1.8 million in 2005.<br /><br />4. The number of hospital emergency cases caused by illicit drug use climbed to 940,000 in 2004, according to data from the <a href="https://dawninfo.samhsa.gov/default.asp">Drug Abuse Warning Network</a>.<br /><br />5. Deaths from illicit-drug overdoses, among those in their 40s and 50s, has risen by 800 percent since 1980, including 300 percent in the last decade.<br /><br />6. According to FBI statistics, arrests for drug offenses among those over 40 rose to 360,000 last year, up from 22,000 in 1980.<br /><br /><br /><strong>If you think this doesn't affect you - think again.</strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-90703489315222045362006-12-20T14:24:00.000-08:002006-12-20T14:45:02.840-08:00<strong><span style="font-size:180%;">MORE NOTES FROM LEBANON</span></strong><br /><br />There was another article about our school drug test in Illinois today. You can read the article by clicking the link <a href="http://stclairjournal.stltoday.com/articles/2006/12/19/news/education/sj2tn20061219-1220fhj_lbschooldrugs.ii1.txt">here</a>.<br /><br />A few things came to mind as I read the article.<br /><br />One is that we have a lot of respect for the work that drug dogs and their handlers do. It is truly amazing what these dogs are capable of doing. I hope the article and its focus on the comments of former Lebanon canine patrolman J.D. Beil don’t give anyone the impression that we think the drug dogs are useless. I'm sorry if that's how Patrolman Beil feels, but nothing could be further from the truth. <br /><br />We are in favor of using whatever tools a school (or parent or business) has at its disposal to detect and deter drug abuse. Especially when it is in teenagers. There are plenty of options out there. Some schools use drug dogs, some schools do random urine testing, some schools sponsor drug education and prevention programs, some schools use DrugWipe, and some schools use a combination of these methods.<br /><br />We obviously believe there are advantages to using DrugWipe. <strong>However,</strong> <strong>this is not a one or the other, us vs. them situation. It’s about using the available resources effectively to catch drug problems in our youth as early as possible so they get the help they need to lead full, productive lives.</strong><br /><br />I'd also like to address the comment about finding traces of drugs on paper currency taken out of the wallets of school board members. I think it leaves the impression that DrugWipe is so sensitive that it can detect residue on paper currency, thus can provide misleading results. That’s not the case. <br /><br />When the technology was originally developed, it was sensitive enough to detect the miniscule amounts of drugs on paper currency. But the manufacturer realized that this would cause problems, including false positives. To avoid this issue of “background contamination”, the manufacturer bumped up the sensitivity of DrugWipe to the nanogram level - one billionth of a gram. <strong>At this level DrugWipe is finding narcotic residue from those who are actively engaged in the use or trafficking of illegal drugs. So while a $20 bill that was recently used by someone to snort a line of cocaine would most likely test positive with DrugWipe, the vast majority of bills in circulation would not!<br /></strong><br /><em>Lastly, to me, the most positive part of the article was the statement that there has “been much talk around town” about our surface assessment at Lebanon High School.</em> That’s awesome. The more people talk about drugs and drug abuse (especially when it’s between parents and their kids), the better. There's a statistic that indicates that <strong>talking to your teen on a regular basis about the dangers of drugs cuts their likelihood of using drugs by 42%.</strong> <br /><br /><strong>So, please, whether you’re in Lebanon or anywhere else, keep talking!</strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-81066820126966078302006-12-13T10:15:00.001-08:002006-12-13T10:15:48.286-08:00How To Cook Cocaine<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/jbuNCoXpOGE' name='movie'></param><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/jbuNCoXpOGE'></embed></object></p><p>The other week, I posted a fascinating video about how cocaine is made. This is another video that picks up the process from where the other one left off. Amazing. </p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-33972610549054799462006-12-12T14:09:00.000-08:002006-12-12T14:29:28.361-08:00<span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>DRUG TESTING INC.</strong></span><br /><br />In this <a href="http://www.inc.com/magazine/20041101/nbrodsky.html">interesting article </a>from November 2004 Inc. Magazine author and serial entrepreneur Norm Brodsky talks about his experiences in establishing a drug testing policy in one of his companies. <br /><br />I can talk and talk about the negative effects of drugs in the workplace and the positive effects that drug testing has until I'm red in the face. Sometimes it's more effective to let others do your talking for you and Mr. Brodsky does that quite nicely in this article. When it comes to implementing an effective drug testing policy, many business owners are afraid of the costs of the program, the legal issues, having to fire employees, and other factors. Mr. Brodsky was too. But he went forward with drug testing anyway and here's an excerpt of what the result was:<br /><br /><blockquote><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Although we offered the others drug treatment and a chance to reapply for a job, we got no takers. Overall, we wound up losing about 25% of our work force -- fewer than we'd feared, but a significant number nonetheless.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><p><br />Yet the drug testing did work. The accident rate declined, as did the incidence of petty theft. Even more gratifying was the response of the employees who remained: They thanked us. They said they felt safer. Only then did I begin to appreciate the real importance of having a drug-free company. It wasn't just about reducing our liability, or even keeping someone from getting hurt, as much as we wanted to do both. It was also about creating a better working environment for the other employees, the ones on whom we depend most heavily, the people we absolutely must figure out how to keep.</p><p><br />And on top of that, we got a bonus. Our drug-testing program made us more attractive to insurers, allowing us to move our policies to a better provider. Over time, moreover, a lower accident rate would translate into lower workers' comp costs.<br /></p></span></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-2806131879118333942006-11-30T10:07:00.000-08:002006-11-30T10:16:11.319-08:00<strong><span style="font-size:180%;">National Meth Awareness Day</span></strong><br /><strong></strong><br />Today is National Meth Awareness Day. It's no cause for celebration, though. The idea is to put a spotlight on the terrible meth epidemic we have in our country. Here's a <a href="http://www.usdoj.gov/methawareness/">link</a> to some background information.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-19436660568539282852006-11-29T07:58:00.000-08:002006-11-29T08:41:15.926-08:00<span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>WHAT'S THE POINT?</strong></span><br /><br />We've been getting a lot of positive feedback about the media coverage yesterday and today for our narcotics assessment at Lebanon High School. We've also been hearing a lot of positive remarks about the school for taking the initiative to do something about teenage drug use.<br /><br />One question we have come up again and again is "What's the point of a surface assessment?" We're testing property and not people. We're testing blocks of lockers and don't know how many lockers in each block may have narcotic residue on them. Even if we narrow things down to one locker, it might not be the student who's assigned to the locker that's responsible for the drug residue.<br /><br />Yes, this is all true. To understand the importance and value of a surface assessment, you need to take a step back. <br /><br />Most of us think of drug testing in the traditional sense - you go pee in a cup, give a blood sample, or have some hair clipped. A lot of this is done in a random fashion which, by definition, is a pretty inefficient way of approaching things. It takes a big investment of time and money to design and implement a drug testing program, whether it's in a school or an business setting. And you're doing all this for a problem that the statistics show only affects a relatively small percentage of your workforce or student population.<br /><br />But what if there was a way, before all that happens, to assess what drug problems are really present in the school or business? Would it be helpful to know that there is little to no drug use by freshman but cocaine is prevalent by senior year? Would it be helpful to know that there's no evidence of drug activity in your warehouse, but your trucks are contaminated by residue from meth and marijuana? Would it be helpful to know that while your drug education program is telling students not to smoke pot, they are actually more into heroin?<br /><br />That's the information DrugWipe provides. It says instead of taking a cookie cutter approach to drug testing, drug education, drug prevention, etc., find out what specific problems you have in your facility. That way you can develop a plan to effectively address the areas of greatest concern. <br /><br />As a friend put it to me the other day, "If you don't know what you're up against, how can you stop it?"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-25973294565324532372006-11-29T03:40:00.000-08:002006-11-29T05:13:11.722-08:00<span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Lebanon High School Assessment</strong></span><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;"></span></strong><br />Yesterday, an assessment we performed at Lebanon High School was covered by all local news stations (here's a link to a <a href="http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=108353">clip from KSDK</a>) and the <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/metroeast/story/C10348A371080B57862572350018C074?OpenDocument">St. Louis Post-Dispatch</a>. After trying to get media coverage here locally for over a year, it was really something to have all the local stations and the Post show up at the same time! We're still trying to digest it all, but I have some thoughts on the assessment.<br /><br />1. <strong>Thanks.</strong> First, we want to express our appreciation and thanks to the Lebanon School District and Superintendent Harry Cavanaugh for allowing the media to cover the assessment at their school. We'd also like to thank the members of the media for coming out to cover the story and put some attention on the problem of drug use by teens.<br /><br />2. <strong>Courage.</strong> There's a lot of <a href="http://idsdrugtesting.blogspot.com/2006/11/denial-one-of-most-eye-opening.html">denial</a> about drug problems out there and the Lebanon School District was willing to not only take the step to learn about what types of problems they have but to share it with the media. That takes a lot of courage.<br /><br />3. <strong>Common.</strong> I wish I could say the results were unexpected. Some people might hear the media report that 8 out of the 17 DrugWipes used tested positive for drugs and be shocked. The results are neither surprising nor uncommon. Unfortunately, we would be hard pressed to go into a school in this country and not find evidence of drug use or trafficking. There is no reason to believe, based on these initial results, that the Lebanon School District has any larger or smaller drug problem than any other school district in the country.<br /><br />4. <strong>Denial.</strong> Many school districts would rather just look the other way when it comes to drugs. Administrators and parents would like to believe it's not a problem in their community or with their children. Unfortunately, the problem only gets attention when something bad happens such as the drug bust at Lutheran South here in St. Louis earlier this year or the murder of the Lindbergh High School student by another student who reportedly was a known drug user. While these stories get the big headlines, this is a problem that is going on every day in most high schools (and many middle schools) across the country. <strong>Addressing drug use by teenagers is neither easy nor fun. But it is necessary.</strong> Most drug addictions start between the ages of 12 and 14. The earlier you can intervene, the better the chance of getting a child back on the right track. Denying that teens use drugs wastes precious time.<br /><br />5. <strong>Reality.</strong> Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of surface assessments with DrugWipe is that it makes drug use "real". It takes it from the abstract to an in-your-face, here are the facts of the situation. <strong>The bottom line is, if you don't know a problem exists, how can you stop it? </strong>DrugWipe makes the problem "real" and lets school administrators and business owners acutely aware of what the problems are, and where they need to focus their attention to address the problem.<br /><br />6. <strong>Focus. </strong>While we do not divulge the results of any surface assessments we perform, it was reported by the media that 8 of the 17 DrugWipes we used last night tested positive. This is baseline data that, in and of itself, does not mean much. We will be providing the Lebanon School District with a report soon that details our findings. This will let them see exactly what problems there are by grade level and by gender. This will help them focus their anti-drug efforts on the groups that need it most.<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>7. Exhaustion. </strong>Have you ever tried to do your job with journalists asking you questions, photographers snapping pictures, and video cameras rolling?! Let me tell you, it ain't easy! It was a long afternoon and the calls and emails have already started to come in. Though exhausted, I'm not complaining!<br /><br />8. <strong>Hope. </strong>While the Lebanon School District was hoping the tests would reveal no indication of drug use by students, that unfortunately wasn't the case. They found out yesterday that, like most high schools, they do face some problems with student drug use. However, I am hopeful that with this information they will begin to develop a plan to address these issues and provide education, intervention, etc. for the students that need it. That's what this is all about. It's not to go on a witchhunt for students who are using or trafficking drugs and prosecute them. It's for assessing the facts of the situation and using whatever tools are available to help kids stay on the path to a bright, productive future. The fact that the Lebanon School District stepped up to the plate and is facing the issue of student drug use head on, makes me hopeful that's exactly what they are going to do for their students.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-14459398451480859322006-11-27T10:07:00.001-08:002006-11-27T10:07:13.836-08:00How cocaine is made<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/lZHUmyrwOXI' name='movie'></param><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/lZHUmyrwOXI'></embed></object></p><p>Most of us are concerned with the problems associated with drug use and trafficking in our businesses, homes and schools. We don't give much thought to where the drugs come from and how they are made. <br /><br />This is a fascinating video that shows the process involved in making cocaine.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-90366549497660344002006-11-22T09:57:00.000-08:002006-11-22T20:46:57.855-08:00<span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Right idea, bad execution</strong></span><br /><br />Lots of parents require their kids to do their homework as soon as they get home from school. Then they get a reward - watch TV, go play, etc. This mom in Pennsylvania has the right concept, though she didn't seem to think things all the way through. From ABC News . . .<br /><br /><em><strong>"A woman admitted to smoking marijuana daily with her 13-year-old son to reward him for completing his homework. Amanda Lynn Livelsberger, 30, pleaded guilty to several charges Monday and will be sentenced Nov. 27.<br />Livelsberger, of Conewago Township, admitted in Adams County court that she had been smoking marijuana with her son since he was 11, and that she often gave it to him as a reward.</strong></em> "<br /><br />Get the complete <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2424469">story here</a><br /><br />As an update, the mom was sentenced to three months in jail today. <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15853602/">Here's the story</a> from MSNBC.com.<br /><br /><br />We wish you all a very safe, and Happy Thanksgiving!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-76473817767670537122006-11-20T21:00:00.000-08:002006-11-20T21:07:40.823-08:00<span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>DRUG SUB</strong></span><br /><br />Costa Rican authorities seized a "homemade" sub carrying over 3 tons of cocaine last Friday. The ingenuity of drug users and traffickers never ceases to amaze me. <br /><br /><blockquote>SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Tipped off by three plastic pipes mysteriously skimming he ocean's surface, authorities seized a homemade submarine packed with 3 tons of cocaine off Costa Rica's Pacific coast. Four men traveled inside the 50-foot wood and fiberglass craft, breathing through the pipes. The craft sailed along at about 7 mph, just six feet beneath the surface, Security Minister Fernando Berrocal said Sunday. </blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-costa-rica-homemade-submarine,0,7919946.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines">Click here</a> for the full article.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-29954329769194167462006-11-20T12:25:00.000-08:002006-11-20T12:38:22.622-08:00<p><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">KIDS AND METH</span></strong></p><p>Most of us have heard stories about the ravages of methamphetamines. The paranoia and violent behavior of users. The dangers of mixing the toxic, volatile chemicals needed to make meth. Not many people, however, are aware of the terrible toll meth is taking on children in this country.<br /><br />DFS workers across the country are being swamped by the effects of this drug. A large number of their caseloads involve children living with parents or caregivers who are abusing and/or manufacturing meth. </p><p><a href="http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17489235&BRD=1719&PAG=461&dept_id=25271&rfi=6">Here’s a story</a> about a group, just over the river from us here in St. Louis, that is trying to do something to help these kids. </p><blockquote>The Metro East Coalition Against Methamphetamine, or MECAM, is a band of local organizations with an interest in fighting meth production and use. Members of the coalition have worked together to prepare care-package backpacks for children who are found living in meth homes.<br /><br />"The backpacks are just a small gesture to help the kids in already traumatic situations," said Tarra Winters, a prevention resource developer for Prevent Child Abuse Illinois. "When kids are found in these homes, everything in the house is contaminated. Many times, when they are removed, they aren’t able to take things with them."Winters, whose organization is a member of MECAM, said the backpacks contain new sets of clothes, a teddy bear, snacks, juice and other items, depending on the child’s age.</blockquote><p>There are not many of us out there that would deny how awful this problem is for kids. However, most of us also think it’s probably something that’s terrible for the children of these meth addicts but won’t affect us much.<br /><br />Well recently I was talking with a community pediatrician about the meth problem. She was telling me a story about one of her patients, an 11 month old girl, whose mother is grappling with an addication to meth. And while you may think that’s a terrible situation for the baby, the worst part of it is what the mom does for a living. She's a day care provider.<br /> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-14862657762404924592006-11-16T15:03:00.000-08:002006-11-16T15:09:45.816-08:00<strong><span style="font-size:180%;">“Catching the Stupid Drug Users”<br /></span></strong><br />Bill and I had a really enjoyable conversation today with a gentleman who oversees a number of construction sites that have multiple contractors/subcontractors on each site. Drug use is a great concern and the workers are all subjected to pre-employment tests, post-accident tests, random tests, for-cause tests, tests based on number of hours worked, etc. All the testing done is urine testing administered by a third party provider. <br /><br />Even with all that drug testing, the feeling they have is that they are still “only catching the stupid drug users.” Now there is definitely a lot of merit to doing that. The “stupid" ones are probably the employees to be the most concerned about as far as accident risk, productivity loss, violent behavior, etc. But there a lot more drug users who escape under the radar. They know how to adulterate the urine samples, substitute samples (congratulations, sir, you passed your drug test but it turns out you’re pregnant), they time things so they know when to stop using drugs to avoid detection. <br /><br /><strong>It seems like such an inefficient system. You’re spending all this money on drug testing, 90%+ of the people you are testing aren’t even on drugs, and you’re still missing some of the ones who are.<br /></strong><br />I’m not going to go off on a big sales pitch here, but doesn’t it make sense to have a system in place that can proactively and non-invasively determine if there is a problem and where those problems are? Then when you find evidence of drug use, focus your resources on areas where you know there’s a problem instead of trying to find that needle in the haystack. That’s the power of <a href="http://www.integritydetection.com/drugwipe">DrugWipe</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-35122221414626045792006-11-10T13:07:00.000-08:002006-11-10T13:12:04.143-08:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1442/4147/1600/head%20in%20sand.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1442/4147/320/head%20in%20sand.0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>DENIAL</strong></span><br /><br />One of the most eye opening experiences we’ve had since starting IDS was doing an assessment for a school in the St. Louis region. The school’s administrators knew there was a problem with marijuana activity, but had no idea how big of a problem it was. They wanted to know exactly what was going on in the school and to do it as discreetly as possible. They decided DrugWipe was just what they were looking for so they could more effectively address drug issues in the school. The contract called for us to do an initial assessment and then have their staff members trained in using DrugWipe technology so they could conduct ongoing assessments as needed.<br /><br />We conducted a general assessment, using 1 DrugWipe to sample 20 lockers at a time. We used 7 DrugWipes to sample 140 lockers used by 6th and 7th graders and 10 DrugWipes to sample 200 lockers used by 8th and 9th graders.<br /><br /><strong>The Results<br /></strong><br />3 of the 7 DrugWipes we used on the 6th / 7th grade lockers and 5 of the 10 DrugWipes used on the 8th / 9th grade lockers turned up positive for marijuana. The real surprise was that 4 of the 7 DrugWipes used on the 6th / 7th grade lockers and <strong>9 of the 10 used on the 8th / 9th grade lockers were positive for cocaine</strong>. (I’ve just thrown a lot of numbers out at you and want to be very clear about one thing. This does NOT mean that 90% of the 8th and 9th graders at this school were using cocaine. We sampled 20 lockers with each DrugWipe and only 1 of those 20 lockers would need to have cocaine residue on it for there to be a positive result.)<br /><br />The most disturbing thing to me, however, was the school administration didn’t believe the results. They claimed that they didn’t have a problem with crack or cocaine in their community and the testing must be flawed. Concerned about that claim, I talked with a DEA agent that’s worked in the area for over 20 years while my partner talked with someone who has been involved in adolescent drug counseling and intervention in the area, also for over 20 years. Because we hold our clients’ confidentiality in the highest regard, we only indicated the general area where the school was located to these experts and asked them if they were surprised by the results. <strong>The DEA agent told me that “if you were surprised by the results, you should have talked to me first.”</strong> The drug counselor wasn’t surprised either.<br /><br />After some further discussions with school administrators and a brief follow-up assessment to confirm our earlier findings, we sat down with the principal. <strong>We reiterated the fact that the government has tested DrugWipe and found it to be 100% accurate in their surface tests. We recounted the discussions we had with local experts and their thoughts on the situation. We then asked the principal if there was anything we could do to make them believe that these results were accurate. The principal said there wasn’t.</strong> At this point we told the principal that if the school administration didn’t believe in the technology there was no reason to proceed with the training and purchase of 50 DrugWipes that our original contract had called for. So we tore up the contract, shook hands, and parted ways.<br /><br />We have encountered a lot of denial since starting Integrity Detection Systems last year. Parents who believe there is no way that their child could be involved in drugs. Company owners that risk the safety and lost profits associated with drug use in the workplace rather than implement an effective drug testing policy. Drug use tends to be a taboo subject and many people would rather just stick their heads in the sand instead of facing the facts and taking steps that could help turnaround and save lives. This case with the school was particularly disturbing because the results clearly indicated there is a large use and/or trafficking problem at this school and young children were involved in some way.<br /><br />Drug use is a very serious problem and helping those with addiction problems is extremely difficult. I can understand how easy it could be to try and ignore the problem and hope it goes away on its own. However, it rarely does. Most addictions start between the ages of 12 and 14. The earlier you can intervene and help kids at that age stay away from drugs, the better chance they have of righting the ship and getting them back on the path to bright, productive futures.<br /><br />While intervention doesn’t guarantee success in overcoming a drug problem, ignoring the problem is a guaranteed recipe for failure.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33973666.post-4050516310374895912006-10-24T13:30:00.000-07:002006-10-24T13:44:11.484-07:00<p><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Cocaine Comeback?<br /></strong></span><br />An interesting <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=54427&nfid=al">article</a> from Medical News Today about a resurgence of cocaine use in Florida caught my attention. The article points to a study conducted by the University of Florida and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement which shows that the number of times cocaine has been cited as the cause of death in coroner’s reports has almost doubled between 2000 and 2005. The article surmises that this is likely indicative of a nationwide trend of increased cocaine use.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I can't say this surprises us. In fact, a recent analysis of around 2000 DrugWipe surface assessments conducted over the past few years showed that cocaine showed up in 38% of the tests conducted. Now, first let me say that <strong>this does NOT indicate that 38% of the population is using cocaine.</strong> A DrugWipe can be used to test multiple surfaces so if you are testing 20 lockers in a school with one DrugWipe, just one of those lockers would have to have cocaine residue on it for the test to come back positive. Though on the flip side, you could test one forklift in a company that is shared by 5 or more employees who could all be using cocaine. The actual percentage of users is impossible to determine with surface assessments.<br /><br />What is interesting from that analysis, however, is that there are <strong>more positive results for cocaine than any other drug, including marijuana.</strong> Why? I’m not really sure but here are a couple of theories that have been kicked around:<br /><br /></p><blockquote>1. Traditional drug tests are biased toward marijuana users because<br />marijuana can be detected in the system for weeks after use as opposed to just<br />a day or two with “hard” drugs like cocaine. With the short detection<br />window for the “hard” drugs in urine tests, these tests may be missing a number<br />of cocaine users.<br /><br />2. Cocaine is an “ideal” drug to use in a school or workplace setting. It’s easily transported, has no smell and can be easily snorted off the back of a toilet seat or other surface in a discreet location. Also the signs of someone that has been using cocaine are similar to someone who’s had a lot of caffeine so it may not be obvious if a student or employee is actively impaired on the drug.</blockquote><p><br />One other point the article makes is that the prevalence of cocaine seems to be higher is wealthy neighborhoods and near college towns. That may be so, but I can tell you from personal experience, cocaine and crack (which is an inexpensive variation of cocaine) are everywhere. From inner-city neighborhoods to wealthy suburbs to places in-between, we’ve found contamination from cocaine residue during surface assessments. The most heart-breaking was finding it (in fairly high levles) on the lockers of 6th and 7th grade students in a school whose population would not be considered wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. But that's a story for another post. </p><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><p><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><p></p><blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0