LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN


BY NEIL FORTNER, AVEE LABORATORIES


Studies in Florida Focus on Prescription Drug Abuse Regardless of public support for legalization,


Dr. Bruce Goldberger, Dr. Gary Reis-


the use of marijuana in the workplace con- tinues to be an issue and is not tolerated by the vast majority of employers. In addition, the use of marijuana away from work has created a number of issues as the impair- ment effects of marijuana are not limited to a mater of hours. Many states and employers are working to incorporate additional testing criteria to address this issue. The DATIA Marijuana Committee


G


reetings to all and welcome to the fall edition of DATIA focus magazine. Soon the leaves will


display their gorgeous red and yellow hues while those of us in Texas (you know who you are) will look forward to temperatures below 100 degrees. I would like to thank all of our members


who took the time to write to their congres- sional representatives to protest the passage of House Resolutions 1529 and 499 (the bills designed to legalize marijuana posses- sion and use). A poll conducted in 1969 by the Pew Research Center showed that 12 percent of Americans supported marijuana legalization. In April of this year, a poll conducted by the same organization showed that a narrow 52 percent majority of Ameri- cans now support marijuana legalization.


continues to focus on assisting our mem- bers and employers in addressing the workplace issues associated with marijua- na legalization. All members of our Board of Directors serve on this committee. Please do not hesitate to contact any of the Board Members if DATIA can be of any assistance around this subject. Te abuse of prescription drugs contin-


ues to be an issue in the workplace. Te Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion has classified prescription drug abuse as an “epidemic.” Te most current statis- tics show that Americans use 99 percent of the hydrocodone produced in the world. To help further the batle against prescrip-


tion drug abuse, the American Society of Ad- diction Medicine is working on a white paper designed to educate their association about drug use and abuse and wider, “smarter” use of drug testing within medicine and the broader American society. In addition, the Institute for Behavior and Health is working on another white paper involving drugged driving. Both of these ground-breaking white papers are critical tools in the batle against prescription drug abuse.


field and Dr. Mark Gold, are working in Florida on prescription drug abuse studies aſter building a relationship through the Department of Health and Human Ser- vices (HHS) with the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). To- gether, they are studying the PDMP data in relation to the recent legislative actions in Florida, including a new pill mill law and new PDMP program implementation. Te batles against prescription drug


abuse and illicit drug use are never ending. Dr. David Martin and his colleagues have coined the term “Crack Plus” to describe the blending of additional illicit substances, including animal tranquilizers, to conven- tional crack to boost the drug’s effects by South American manufacturers. Dr. Martin and his colleagues have recently published an article based on their research of “Crack Plus” in South America. In closing I would like to thank all of


those individuals who have contributed articles to focus and those that have vol- unteered their time to produce our many webinars. Education and training will always be a cornerstone of DATIA. ❚


Respectfully Yours,


Neil Fortner DATIA Chairman


4


datia focus


fall 2013


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