The opioid epidemic has been fueled in part by the overprescribing of painkillers. But a new study finds that up to half of patients may not actually need the addictive pills following a surgery. The finding could be a game-changer for post-op care, said lead researcher Dr. Michael Englesbe.

The Clearinghouse will improve highway safety by helping employers, FMCSA, State Driver Licensing Agencies, and State law enforcement to quickly and efficiently identify drivers who are not legally permitted to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) due to drug and alcohol program violations. This secure online database will provide access to real-time information, ensuring that drivers committing these violations complete the necessary steps before getting back behind the wheel, or performing any other safety-sensitive function.

In recent years, we’ve seen a growing interest in the development of therapies and other FDA-regulated consumer products derived from cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) and its components, including cannabidiol (CBD). This interest spans the range of product categories that the agency regulates. For example, we’ve seen, or heard of interest in, products containing cannabis or cannabis derivatives that are marketed as human drugs, dietary supplements, conventional foods, animal foods and drugs, and cosmetics, among other things.

People who are thwarted in their attempts to "shop around" for prescription opioid painkillers at doctors' offices and pharmacies may try to get the drugs via relatives as a last resort, researchers report.

Naloxone is a potentially life-saving drug commonly used to reverse opioid overdoses and can be injected as a liquid or delivered as a nasal spray. The fastest method of delivery is through an intravenous (IV) dose, but many first responders, police, families or friends are not well equipped or trained to quickly administer an IV in an emergency situation. Historically, many first responders have used an improvised adaptor to convert the liquid product into a rapidly acting nasal spray.

This interactive map shows urine drug test positivity by 3-digit zip code in the United States. The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™ is a comprehensive analysis of workforce drug use trends. This map is an analysis of the combined U.S. workforce. Learn More

It’s probably not a good idea — and it can’t be great for productivity — but that’s not stopping a lot of Washingtonians from doing it.

I’m talking about getting high at work.

One in four marijuana users who are employed admit to doing this within the past year, according to a new survey of cannabis consumers in Washington, Oregon and Colorado, three states where recreational weed is legal.

One in four also said they’ve gotten high before work — I’m guessing it’s the same one in four, but the survey doesn’t specify.

Most employers in New York City would no longer be able to force job applicants to take drug tests for marijuana use, under a bill overwhelmingly approved this week by the City Council.

If the drug-screening law is enacted, it would put New York in relatively uncharted territory. Several drug policy and employment experts said that they did not know of similar laws on the books, even in states that have legalized marijuana.

Drug users will go to extremes to beat a drug test. One trick they use is synthetic urine. Now seventeen states are moving to ban it. Alabama may be next in line. State Rep. Arnold Mooney of Shelby County is drafting legislation for a ban, but it is not ready to be filed.

The products look like the real thing and are even packed with hand warmers to get them to the right temperature.

National Nurses Week is a time that celebrates the hard work that nurses do every single day to keep people healthy and safe.

The idea for Nurses Day was first suggested in 1953 by Dorothy Sutherland, who was a part of the US Department of health.

There was a proposal that was sent to then president Eisenhower, but it was never approved.

Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, and can lead to accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse. Unused prescriptions thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold.

On Tuesday, April 23, 2019, the Department of Transportation (DOT) published a final rule that makes minor technical corrections to the OST, FAA, FTA, and PHMSA regulations governing drug testing for safety-sensitive employees. 

Most folks treated in a U.S. emergency room for misuse of prescription medications get into trouble because they mix different substances, a new study reports.

Though they know that nearly all heroin is laced with the dangerous synthetic opioid fentanyl, many Baltimore users aren't prepared to prevent or treat fentanyl-related overdoses, a new study finds.

Baltimore has a thriving heroin trade and 1,000 opioid overdose deaths a year.

Alcohol impairment remains a leading cause of highway crashes. Nearly 30 percent of the 37,000 deaths on U.S. roads in 2017 were due to alcohol impairment, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Every day, nearly 29 people in the U.S. die in alcohol-impaired crashes—that’s 1 person every 50 minutes.

Join us on April 10th at 10:30am. ASAP's  CEO & President Laura Dashner is presenting, An Interview with Sandra Sapp: New Developments for 2018 in DOT Testing and Return to Duty Process at AAOHN in Jacksonville, Florida. Learn More

Naloxone is a potentially life-saving drug commonly used to reverse opioid overdoses and can be injected as a liquid or delivered as a nasal spray. The fastest method of delivery is through an intravenous (IV) dose, but many first responders, police, families or friends are not well equipped or trained to quickly administer an IV in an emergency situation. Historically, many first responders have used an improvised adaptor to convert the liquid product into a rapidly acting nasal spray.

The FMCSA’s Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is scheduled to be implemented January 6, 2020.  This month, FMCSA has activated a Clearinghouse website (

Every nonprofit leader strives to offer employees health benefits that are attractive and competitive with the market, but also affordable. Affordability, however, may come at a steep price. For example, to reduce costs, health plans may be incentivizing your employees to seek prescription medication to manage pain instead of safer, effective, drug-free care options.

In states where recreational marijuana was legalized, deadly car crashes temporarily increased, according to a new study from Australia’s Monash University.

Researchers examined data from Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and nine nearby jurisdictions from 2009-2016.

The spike lasted about a year after the state changed their laws.

When record-low unemployment rates collide with record-high

More and more employees are testing positive for drugs in workplace screenings, an increase that is concerning for some employers and safety specialists. 

Marijuana positivity for the American workforce is up for the fifth consecutive year, a trend showing no signs of slowing. Drug positivity in states without marijuana use statutes has kept pace with the national average of 2.1% for the combined U.S. workforce. However, data from Quest Diagnostics shows that the states with the highest positivity rates do not necessarily contain the cities or metropolitan areas with the highest marijuana positivity.