Wolfe Drug Testing, DNA and Background Checks

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfe Drug Testing) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:07:00 +0000

Wolfe Drug Testing is expanding background checks for 2009. We sell National and State Checks, Address Information Manager(identifies current and previous addresses of potential employees), MVR's , CDLIS(Commercial Driver's License Information System), Employment credit checks, Tenant credit checks, County checks, Federal Checks, and Employment History verification. Inside our National checks, include Sex Offender registry, OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) check, and terrorist watch list. These services are also available a la carte.

FedEx is Keystone Labs main vendor for specimen shipping.

Wolfe provides subscription access to the most comprehensive drug testing state law guide available.

TO OUR CLIENTS...

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfe Drug Testing) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:04:00 +0000

BEST WISHES TO YOU FOR A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT WOLFE /KEYSTONE!
We also want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to all of our clients who have participated with Wolfe/Keystone in the ongoing quest to promote and provide alcohol and drug free workplaces.
In the midst of all of the economic uncertainty we are facing, we want you to know that Wolfe/Keystone stands with you--- not only as a *third party administrator*-- but as your partner. We will all step into 2009 in the heart of a recession. We will all be *crunching numbers* in an effort to survive the residual fallout from the worst economic collapse in many decades. As partners, please know your success matters to us, and we are willing to do whatever we can to help you make it through some of the challenges we will all face this New Year.
As employers, we also have the huge responsibility and power to protect businesses*yours and ours*from drug and alcohol abuse. This we must do. Most of us do not have the luxury of surplus accounts to pay the price for abuse-related accidents, high illness rates, and costly mistakes on the job. Therefore, we must continue to work together to provide safe environments for our employees while at the same time lessening the risk of catastrophic expenses related to drug and alcohol abuse . Wolfe/Keystone will continue to provide you with the best possible prices on all of your drug testing needs/supplies. With our competitive pricing on products, and with our network of more than 3,500 collection sites nationwide, we take pride in our ability to serve our ever-growing client base. In so doing, we hope you will share with us any concerns that might arise in the future with regard to your drug testing program so that we can continue to meet all of your drug and alcohol testing needs.

Know the Typical Warning Signs of Drug Use/Abuse

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfe Drug Testing) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:04:00 +0000

Symptoms of drug use vary from person to person, and exhibiting one of the following symptoms does not guarantee that someone is using drugs. People may exhibit different behavior due to stress or other problems. The most important warning signs to look for are big changes in general, including physical appearance, personality, attitude or behavior.
PHYSICAL SIGNS:
Loss of appetite, increase in appetite, any changes in eating habits, unexplained weight loss or gain.
Slowed or staggering walk; poor physical coordination.
Inability to sleep, awake at unusual times, unusual laziness.
Red, watery eyes; pupils larger or smaller than usual; blank stare.
Cold, sweaty palms; shaking hands.
Puffy face, blushing or paleness. Smell of substance on breath, body or clothes.
Extreme hyperactivity; excessive talkativeness.
Runny nose; hacking cough. Needle marks on lower arm, leg or bottom of feet.
Nausea, vomiting or excessive sweating.
Tremors or shakes of hands, feet or head. Irregular heartbeat.
BEHAVIORAL SIGNS:
Change in overall attitude/personality with no other identifiable cause.
Changes in friends; avoiding old friends.
Change in activities or hobbies.
Drop in performance at work; skips work or is late for work.
Change in habits at home; loss of interest in family and family activities.
Difficulty in paying attention; forgetfulness.
General lack of motivation, energy, self-esteem, "I don't care" attitude.
Sudden oversensitivity, temper tantrums, or resentful behavior. Moodiness, irritability, or nervousness.
Paranoia Excessive need for privacy; unreachable.
Secretive or suspicious behavior.
Change in personal grooming habits.
Possession of drug paraphernalia
Source: American Council for Drug Education

Illicit Drug Use Holds Steady, Report

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfe Drug Testing) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:03:00 +0000

The annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health found little overall change in past-month use of illicit drugs in 2007, although use of cocaine and methamphetamine did decline, the Associated Press reported.
Use of illicit drugs dipped from 8.3 percent of Americans ages 12 and older in 2006 to 8 percent in 2007. Adolescent drug use fell from 9.8 percent in 2006 to 9.5 percent in 2007, the survey found, but past-month use of illicit drugs among those ages 50-59 rose from 4.3 percent to 5 percent. Marijuana was by far the most popular illicit drug among all age groups.
The findings are based on interviews with more than 67,000 Americans.
The federal Office of National Drug Control Policy credited the decline in cocaine and methamphetamine use to decreased supply of these drugs, resulting in higher prices and reduced purity. Critics disputed government claims of progress in fighting drug abuse, however, and a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report concluded that use of cocaine, marijuana and other illicit drugs is a bigger problem in the U.S. than in any of the other 16 nations studied.
"Use of marijuana and other drugs naturally fluctuates and if you look at long-term trends, current rates are smack in the middle of the range they've been in for decades," said Bruce Mirken of the Marijuana Policy Project. "There is simply no evidence that current policies ... have made any difference."
"The use of drugs seems to be a feature of more affluent countries," noted the WHO report. "The U.S., which has been driving much of the world's drug research and drug policy agenda, stands out with higher levels of alcohol, cocaine, and cannabis, despite punitive illegal drug policies as well as a higher minimum legal alcohol drinking age than many comparable developed countries."

NASCAR Announces Random Drug Testing Policy

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfe Drug Testing) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:02:00 +0000

Professional racing circuit NASCAR has announced new random drug-testing rules as part of its substance-abuse policy, WRAL reported Sept. 22. The testing is scheduled to begin in 2009.
Although the kinds of drugs being tested for have not been announced, NASCAR said that the policy is "triggered with the use of any drug or medication if NASCAR believes it has been abused or misused."
Any illegal substances found in a driver's blood would be considered a violation of the policy, as well as the presence of any substance that might be considered to present a safety issue. That could conceivably include such common and legal substances like caffeine and alcohol.
"We think we have the broadest policy in all of sports," NASCAR Vice President Steve O'Donnell said, adding that a policy that doesn't list specific drugs allows NASCAR to "test for any substance that may be abused."
Failing a drug test will result in immediate indefinite suspension, with a third violation resulting in a lifetime ban.

Global Survey Says..

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfe Drug Testing) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Despite tough anti-drug laws, a new survey shows the U.S. has the highest level of illegal drug use in the world.
The World Health Organization's survey of legal and illegal drug use in 17 countries, including the Netherlands and other countries with less stringent drug laws, shows Americans report the highest level of cocaine and marijuana use.
For example, Americans were four times more likely to report using cocaine in their lifetime than the next closest country, New Zealand (16% vs. 4%),
Marijuana use was more widely reported worldwide, and the U.S. also had the highest rate of use at 42.4% compared with 41.9% of New Zealanders.
In contrast, in the Netherlands, which has more liberal drug policies than the U.S., only 1.9% of people reported cocaine use and 19.8% reported marijuana use.
"Globally, drug use is not distributed evenly and is not simply related to drug policy, since countries with stringent user-level illegal drug policies did not have lower levels of use than countries with liberal ones," researcher Louisa Degenhardt of the University of New South Wales, Australia, and colleagues write in PLoS Medicine.
WebMD, CBS News

ANNOUNCING: RealityCheck 365 Daily Alert (RC 365)--

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfe Drug Testing) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:59:00 +0000

Would you like to know if one of your employees was arrested last night, cited for speeding, got a DUI over the weekend, etc?
If your answer is "YES", then RC 365 Alert will keep you informed on things your employees may be reluctant to tell you.
How RC 365 works:
North Carolina Based Companies who wish to enroll in RC 365 will receive "daily alerts" with possible employee matches involving NC State Law Enforcement from the night before. The RC 365 "hits" are based on the last name and year of birth of employees.
So, if you get an "exact" match for one of your employees, you can then pull the court record immediately from the link provided and find out what this person encountered and/or was arrested for, etc.
For more details on this new program...contact
Wolfe Drug Testing 800-451-3743 and ask for Kelly.

Feds Say Marijuana Potency Peaks

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfe Drug Testing) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:58:00 +0000

A report released by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) says that marijuana samples gathered last year averaged 9.6 percent in THC level, the highest in 30 years, the Associated Press reported June 12.
In 1983, the average level of THC -- the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana -- was 4 percent; it was 8.75 percent in 2006.
Drug czar John Walters said that the higher potency of marijuana posed a variety of health risks for users. "Today's report makes it more important than ever that we get past outdated, anachronistic views of marijuana," he said.
"The increases in marijuana potency are of concern since they increase the likelihood of acute toxicity, including mental impairment," added Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which funded the University of Mississippi study. "Particularly worrisome is the possibility that the more potent THC might be more effective at triggering the changes in the brain that can lead to addiction."
However, researcher Mitch Earleywine of the State University of New York said that stronger marijuana doesn't necessarily increase health risks and that there is no evidence to suggest that it leads to more addiction. Earleywine said that users can adjust their consumption according to how strong the drug is and that "stronger cannabis leads to less inhaled smoke."

Internet Called 'Biggest Culprit' in Prescription Drug Abuse

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfe Drug Testing) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:56:00 +0000

Prescription drug abuse is being fueled by easy access to pharmaceuticals on the Internet, often facilitated by shady doctors and pharmacies, CNN reported May 21.
Rusty Payne, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration, said pharmaceutical abuse "is one of the biggest drug problems we are dealing with. "The Internet is the biggest culprit," Payne said.
"These pharmacy people that are doing this and these doctors that are doing this, they don't give a dadgummit about people. It's just the almighty dollar; that's all it is," said one Wichita, Kansas women whose husband died from an overdose of the muscle relaxant Soma, which he bought online without ever visiting a doctor.
CNN reporters were able to easily buy the antidepressants Prozac and Elavil online by filling out a health survey and providing a credit-card number, even though an e-mail from the linepharmacy.com site said that "all orders made are still subjected to Doctor's evaluation." The drugs arrived with a doctor's name and a pharmacy name on the label, but the reporter never spoke to a doctor.
In another example, a women who tried to commit suicide with drugs bought online received a prescription for Soma written by a doctor on Long Island, who she had never met. The doctor, who runs three health clinics, refused to answer questions about the prescription, as did workers at Roots Pharmacy in American Fork, Utah, which filled the prescription.
The DEA says that investigations of Internet pharmacies yielded $39 million in cash and other assets last year, up from $11 million in 2004.

Heroin Abuse Up for Many Ohio Youth

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfe Drug Testing) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:15:00 +0000

An increase in treatment admissions for heroin abuse among young people in Ohio is being attributed to problems that often start with prescription drug abuse, the Akron Beacon Journal reported Aug. 13.
A report from the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network covering the period from June 2007 to January 2008 found increasing amounts of "black tar" heroin use in several reporting areas and a higher rate of treatment admissions among young whites, as well as among young adults in suburban communities. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services said many young people are turning to heroin after not finding a sufficient opiate effect from prescription pain medication.
The report's overall findings, culled from interviews with treatment providers, law enforcement officials and consumers, generally found few changes in drug use patterns in the state. Both heroin use and prescription drug abuse continue to hold steady, as do marijuana and cocaine use. Limited street availability of methamphetamine and OxyContin has led to a decline in use of those substances.Other drug trend patterns that have remained consistent in recent years include young people's inappropriate use of prescription drugs in combination with alcohol, and substantial use of this combination of drugs among the state's elderly population as well.

Does your drug-testing program align with your corporate strategic goals for personnel?

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfe Drug Testing) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:06:00 +0000

Many of our clients perform drug tests for prospective employees, following an accident, because of reasonable suspicion of drug use, return to duty and/or randomly throughout the year. Some have drug policies written so specifically that they test for drugs that have “gone out of style” and are missing the current culprits in the ever-changing world of the drug abuser. Several have no policy at all and others are testing historical usage, but want to test for recent drug abuse.

1. Why test prospective and current employees for drugs?

The statistics are overwhelming:

Department of Labor estimates that drug use in the workplace costs employers $75 to $100 billion dollars annually in lost time, accidents, health care and workers compensation costs.

65% of all accidents on the job are related to drug or alcohol abusers.

Drug and alcohol abusers utilize 16 times as many health care benefits and are six times more likely to file workers compensations claims than non-abusers.

Clearly, it is good bottom line sense to have a drug free workplace. The question is whether your current policy and protocol provides for that Drug Free Workplace.

2. When should testing be done?

Pre-employment – the most common drug testing “may” keep personnel problems, accidents and liability from ever happening. However, any drug abusers seeking a job may stay clean long enough to pass a drug test.

Post accident – Corrective action can be taken and liability limited if the employee injures him/herself or other employees while under the influence.

Return to Work – Following an absence from work except vacation and approved time off.

Reasonable suspicion – Supervisors can stop accidents and risk by testing when an employee is behaving outside normal defined parameters.

Random – The best weapon in your arsenal is highly effective in maintaining a culture of a drug free workplace.

3. What type of testing is appropriate? Urine or Oral Fluid based

There are now two widely used types of testing for general employment and occupational health clinics. Urine based testing has been the gold standard for many years, but advances in oral fluid (saliva) technology has introduced a new weapon in testing for drug abuse.

Urine based testing has a solid technological history and well-defined window of detection for drugs of abuse. However, there is a constant “cat and mouse game” waged by drug abusers to adulterate the urine specimen or exchange a “clean” specimen for the drug abuser’s own specimen. One can use the Internet to find multiple websites that cater to the drug abuser who wants to “beat the system.” Generally, the donor is alone when the specimen is collected giving ample opportunity for employing the tricks of the trade.

Therefore, the practical disadvantages of urine testing are the current advantages to oral fluids testing.

ü The oral fluid specimen is donated in the presence of the collector, which makes it difficult to add an adulterant if one was available.
ü The drug abusers have not yet caught up with how to easily adulterate their own saliva.
ü The donor can be tested at work and only be absent for minutes instead of hours improving productivity and not causing replacement problems for the supervisors.
ü There is no need for a bathroom facility set up to prevent the watering down or adulteration of the specimen.
ü There is no excuse of a “shy bladder” used by many drug abusers to hide their reluctance to donate a specimen.
ü The collection of oral fluid can be done onsite without any perceived negative connotations of having to donate urine.

These are powerful and compelling reasons to consider oral fluid testing. However, you need to be aware of differences between urine and oral fluid testing. Careful consideration of these differences can enhance your overall drug-free workplace program. Consult your drug-testing expert to determine if oral fluid testing should be part of your program.

Some differences between urine and oral fluid detection times are summarized in this chart:

Urine Urine Oral Fluid Oral Fluid
Lab Test Instant Lab Test Instant

Detection Window Hours Hours Hours Hours

Amphetamines 24-72 24-72 24-36 24-36
Cocaine/Metabolite 24-72 24-72 24-36 24-36
Opiates 24-72 24-72 24-36 24-36
PCP* 1-5 days 1-5 days 24-36 24-36
<30>24-4 wks >24-4 wks 1-24 1-24

*Occasional use is 1-5 days while chronic use detected up to 30 days.
**Depends on frequency of use.

One of the biggest differences is that oral fluids tests for marijuana (parent THC) active in the donor at that time and not at some time in the past. Urine tests indicate that marijuana has been used more than 24 hours ago up to 72 hours for the casual user and does not detect recent use.

In deciding to add oral fluids to your company’s arsenal, the real questions to ask are:
o Are you interested in detecting those employees or applicants who have used marijuana recently or who use it daily?, or
o Are you interested in detecting those who may have used on one occasion 24 to 48 hours prior to the test, even though there is no evidence of impairment for this period of time after use?, and
o Are you interested in insuring that employees or applicants do not "beat the test?"
A number of employers are certainly more interested in answering the first and last questions as yes. If so, oral fluid is an ideal protocol to add to your testing protocol.
A Few Frequently Asked Questions:
Is oral fluid is less accurate than urine?

No. Existing data obtained by major US testing labs across large populations indicated that oral testing and urine testing correlate within 0.5% with respect to positive tests. In general, the number of positives and negatives are similar for both urine and oral fluid. The concentrations of drugs and/or drug metabolites present in saliva are typically lower than those found in urine. Therefore, saliva tests are more sensitive by design. See Note 1.Are the detection windows for oral fluid and urine different?
Urine and oral fluid are two very different test vehicles for drug detection. Both are effective for detecting the presence of illegal drugs but with different detection windows and, sometimes, different target drugs. Oral fluid provides equivalent, and in some cases, more appropriate detection windows versus urine. See Note 2.What factors affect detection of urine and oral fluids?Detection windows vary depending on the analytical method used, drug metabolism, tolerance, fluid intake, and method and frequency of ingestion. Other factors include the amount of drug used, and drug potency. THC (marijuana metabolite) must metabolize and then be excreted into the urine before presence can be detected. This can take some time depending on the person’s metabolic rate. Retention times for chronic smokers may be longer.What is adulteration?Adulteration is a change of any substance by the deliberate addition of a component not ordinarily part of that substance. NOTE: Specimen substitution is a form of adulteration.Can a urine sample be adulterated?
Yes. Urine adulteration is very prevalent, and recognized as a serious issue. Everyday household products can be used to invalidate urine drug test. There are also many commercial products/additives being sold that easily adulterate urine samples. For example, the purchase of drug-free urine has become a common practice.Can oral fluid be adulterated?
No. There are no confirmed methods that adulterate oral fluid samples. There are only a few commercial products that claim to "fool" an oral fluid based drug test. These products only prevent saliva flow for a short period, and do not actually "change" test results. This simply delays the sample collection process, but does not adulterate the sample. Donors may attempt to introduce something into the sample or collector, but this is highly unlikely as oral fluid collection is directly observed.
Note 1: Published data (LabOne) references positive prevalence rates in oral fluid in significantly sized testing populations. Across 77,218 oral specimens of which 3,908 are drug positive, of which 2,486 are THC positive, yields a THC positivity rate of 3.22% (taken from the general private workplace). The overall detected drug positivity in this case was stated to be 5.06% compared with the comparable annual data from Quest for urine testing for the general US workforce population in 2001 of 4.9% (~3.4 million samples), which is quite close agreement. The positivity rate for THC cited by Quest for urine testing within the general US workforce is given as 3.17% for 2001, compared to the oral fluid THC positivity rate of 3.22%, also in good agreement.

Given the marked similarities for both the overall and THC drug specific positivity rates between urine based testing and oral fluid based testing for statistically significant populations; it would seem that compiled data supports that oral fluid and urine samples are statistically equivalent with respect to detection rates.

The overall positivity rate for oral fluid is in good agreement with the comparable data for urine available from the annual compilation of drug testing results from Quest Laboratories and LabOne (77,218 oral specimens). The concordance of the overall oral fluid drug positivity rates with the urine positivity rates indicates that the practical windows of detection must either be quite similar or that the advancement of the detection window to shorter times by oral fluid improves the overall detection rate to exactly balance the detection loss incurred by a presumed inability of oral fluid to detect positive sample at times greater than 24 hours and thereby result in a rate essentially matching that provided by drug detection in urine. Of the two possible explanations, it is by far more straightforward to accept that the detection rates for oral fluid and urine are generally the same as a consequence of the detection windows being approximately equivalent in length.

Note 2: Just like traditional urine testing, the window in oral fluid testing is different for each drug. Urine testing relies on drug metabolites retained in the body’s waste supply and may detect some drugs for a longer period. However, testing has indicated that oral fluid identifies recent usage - during the first few hours after drug use - which can be missed by urine testing. (Source: LabOne.)