Drug use - Articles - Page 3

Construction safety threatened by workforce shortages

Contractors identify strong safety programs as means to address skilled labor scarcity and substance abuse

September 10, 2018

A shortage of skilled workers is the number one factor affecting jobsite safety, according to a report by the Q3 2018 USG Corporation + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index (Index). The report revealed a widespread concern among commercial construction businesses about anticipated labor shortages over the next three years, with 88 percent of contractors expecting to feel at least a moderate impact from the workforce shortages in the next three years.

College v. non-college young adults show sharp differences in marijuana use

September 6, 2018

The daily use of marijuana among young adults who are not in college is at an all-time high, according to the latest Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey results announced by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

What you need to know about synthetic marijuana

Maureen Paraventi

August 22, 2018

More than 100 people in a Connecticut park overdose on suspected synthetic marijuana in one day, straining emergency services. Washington, D.C. sees more than 200 overdoses during the month of July. These numbers generated headlines, but health emergencies caused by synthetic cannabinoid - also known as Spice, K2, Black Mamba, Fake Weed, or Synthetic Marijuana – are not isolated incidents.

An NTSB Safety Compass blog post

Most Wanted List progress report: Rail safety

Robert L. Sumwalt

March 28, 2018

On November 14, 2017, the day before our Most Wanted List (MWL) progress meeting, we concluded our investigation into the April 2016 Amtrak train derailment in Chester, Pennsylvania. As I offer the closing words of this blog series highlighting the progress made to address issues on our list, the NTSB is presently investigating the December 2017 Amtrak train derailment in DuPont, Washington, and the February 2018 Amtrak train and CSX freight train collision near Cayce, South Carolina.

Scientists looking at developing standards for cannabis

August 1, 2016

At a recent conference of measurement science experts, ASTM International Chairman Ralph Paroli, Ph.D., of the National Research Council of Canada, delivered a keynote presentation on the increasing interest in developing consensus standards for cannabis as more governments and countries legalize marijuana.

Obama says U.S. must tackle opioid drug abuse “epidemic”

October 30, 2015

President Barack Obama has vowed to federal programs to combat the "epidemic" of heroin use and prescription painkiller abuse across the country.

CDC: Heroin epidemic is due to a one-two punch

July 10, 2015

CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden says the nation’s alarming heroin epidemic – which spans nearly all demographic groups and is causing a dramatic rise in overdose deaths, is largely due to two factors.

Employers get guidance on impact of marijuana in the workplace

Paper by health experts examines trends in consumption, legal implications for employers

April 16, 2015

The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) have published guidance for employers aimed at helping them better understand the implications of marijuana use on the workforce as attitudes toward marijuana and laws restricting it continue to change.

“Problem” drug users in E.R. rooms drive up health care costs

Identifying, intervening may help control effects

July 8, 2014

Nearly two-thirds of emergency room patients who reported drug use in the previous 30 days met the criteria for having a drug problem, according to a study published online Thursday in Annals of Emergency Medicine (“Identifying Patients with Problematic Drug Use in the Emergency Department: Results of a Multi-Site Study”).