At the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association’s (DATIA) Annual Conference at the Doral Resort and Spa, DATIA Chairman, Dr. David M. Martin, in his opening address predicted that a new wave of drug abuse would be hitting America. He cited a report that will be released this month in the Journal of Health Affairs…

New research shows that adults who smoked marijuana before age 15 have significant problems with attention span, impulse control, and “executive function” – the ability to plan and carry out tasks. How about people who took up toking later in life? The same research showed they were much less likely to have such difficulties. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20067999-10391704.html

Prescription drug abuse, now the fastest-growing drug problem in the country, has created a ballooning street market for highly-addictive pain relief, anxiety and depression drugs. Given the money involved, it’s no wonder. Here’s a sampling of the street prices for a single tablet of some commonly trafficked drugs, compared to their retail prices: –Oxycontin: $50…

Illicit drug use cost the U.S. economy an estimated $193 billion in 2007 — a figure that comes close to the annual costs related to diabetes and other chronic diseases, according to a government study released Thursday by the National Drug Intelligence Center. The report looked at the most recent year in which data was…

In FINS’ informal Sign or Decline question forum, 31% of 573 respondents said they’d sign for their dream job if there was peer pressure at the firm to do drugs, while 69% said they’d turn down the offer. Those who would be willing to work in a drug-infested office are “naive about what it is…

Dedham Police arrested 42-year-old Theresa Foley, of Stoughton, Friday afternoon for allegedly selling drugs in the parking lot of Dedham Medical, where she worked. Foley was seen by drug enforcement officers selling drugs to as many as six people during her lunch hour, Walsh said. http://stoughton.patch.com/articles/dedham-police-stoughton-woman-sold-drugs-at-work

Sheriffs statewide have been scrambling to pay for meth lab cleanups since federal funding evaporated, shifting the burden to county taxpayers, even as a new method of making the drug fuels a boom in the number of labs authorities are finding. Meth labs leave behind hazardous waste that costs thousands of dollars to clean up.…

Access to rogue online pharmacies may be driving a rapid increase in the abuse of prescription drugs like powerful painkillers Percocet and Oxycontin, a new study shows. “Our findings suggest that Internet growth may partly explain the increase in prescription drug abuse, since it is well known that these drugs are easily available online,” said…

Psychemedics Corporation (NASDAQ:PMD) announced first quarter financial results for the period ended March 31, 2011. Raymond C. Kubacki, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are very pleased to report significant growth in revenues and profits in the first quarter over last year’s first quarter results. The revenue was the highest of any first quarter…

Several states have started reassessing their medical marijuana laws after stern warnings from the federal government that everyone from licensed growers to regulators could be subjected to prosecution. The ominous-sounding letters from U.S. attorneys in recent weeks have directly injected the federal government back into a debate that has for years been progressing at the…