With retiring baby boomers and a slowly recovering economy, the demand for skilled workers – such as mechanics, pipe fitters and commercial truckers – is on the rise. But companies in Texas are facing a shortage of these skilled laborers. Part of the problem is that workers simply do not have the vocational training to…

Union Drilling Inc. (UDRL), the rig owner hired by Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) to explore U.S. shale rock formations for natural gas, toughened drug testing of rig workers in an attempt to cut down on accidents. Union is switching to hair-follicle tests from urinalysis to detect drug use, Chief Executive Officer Christopher Strong said at…

Four American drug companies are developing a new pain killer said to be ten times stronger than the popular prescription painkiller Vicodin, which has many addiction experts concerned. The pharmaceutical companies have begun testing on pills that contain hydrocodone in its pure form, the first of its kind, CBS News reports. Hydrocodone is in the…

Two moms have accomplished their goal of making a short length documentary featuring the struggles of addiction through the lives of young adults. Jodi’s son Jarrod died from an overdose of a prescription drug she had never heard of until the night he died. His peers had heard of it though, and within weeks more…

The Department of Human Services says it is still in the “early process” of developing a drug screening policy for cash-assistance welfare benefit recipients. David Akerly, DHS spokesman said the answers to the questions of how the policy would be implemented and when the policy would take effect are not available yet. “We have determined…

About 2 percent of applicants for an Indiana job training program were turned away after failing a drug test, according to state officials who describe the mandatory testing as a success. The program was launched in part because some business owners had questioned why drug users who would not be able to pass workplace drug…

Turning away employees who don’t pass a drug test means fewer workplace injuries and a healthier work environment. Companies that choose to implement pre-employment drug screening or adhere to a robust drug and safety initiative, such as programs sponsored by state Bureau of Workers’ Compensation offices, report fewer lost-time injuries and – less measurable –…

For two days in a row, an Anchorage man on probation for a drug charge called in bomb threats to his probation office to avoid a scheduled urine test, police say. Officers arrested Bryant K. Brown, 44, Thursday for two counts of terroristic threatening after the Nov. 22 and 23 phone calls. http://www.adn.com/2011/12/15/2220340/bomb-threats-called-in-to-avoid.html#ixzz1gjOcfBLS

Some “designer drugs” may be in a legal gray area, but their actions on the brain are similar to those of illegal drugs and could be just as dangerous, new research suggests. The researchers studied two popular designer drugs, mephedrone and methylone, analogs of cathinone, a drug found in the plant Catha edulis. The drugs…

Results from the latest teen survey from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) are a mixed bag. The survey showed fewer teens are turning to alcohol and cigarettes than ever before. But the “Monitoring the Future” survey also found that marijuana use is rising steadily among America’s teens. The findings are based on a…