Drug Testing - 5-15-12

dwf_admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:54:15 -0700

(drug testing - employee - testing of certified labs) "The accuracy of certified labs has never been tested. Not a single study of the accuracy of HHS certified laboratories has ever been conducted. The National Academy of Sciences and other experts have urged HHS to conduct such tests,⁶ but HHS has never done so. Nor has HHS allowed independent researchers to see its data. HHS’ failure to conduct or allow accuracy studies of certified labs is especially troubling in light of the federal government’s assurances that the labs it used were reliable ..."

Drug Testing - 5-15-12

dwf_admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:47:40 -0700

(drug testing - employee - certified labs) "In response to well documented quality problems in labs that were previously considered reliable, the federal government established certification programs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a program to certify laboratories.³ And the U.S. Department of Transportation has a program.⁴ Testing conducted by federal agencies or required by federal law must be conducted by certified labs."

Medical Marijuana - Research - 5-16-12

dwf_admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:22:55 -0700

(medical cannabis - multiple sclerosis) "We saw a beneficial effect of smoked cannabis on treatment-resistant spasticity and pain associated with multiple sclerosis among our participants."

"Conclusion: Using an objective measure, we saw a beneficial effect of inhaled cannabis on spasticity among patients receiving insufficient relief from traditional treatments."

Crime - 5-13-12

dwf_admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 21:51:40 -0700

(crime - strategy to combat transnational organized crime) "This [Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime] complements but does not replicate the work of other major U.S. security initiatives. It is guided by the National Security Strategy and interlocks with other U.S. strategies and initiatives, to include the National Drug Control Strategy, the National Strategy for Counterterrorism, the em>International Strategy for Cyberspace, the National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction, the U.S.-Mexico Merida Initiative, the Law Enforcement Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime, the National Strategy for Maritime Security, Countering Piracy Off the Horn of Africa: Partnership & Action Plan, and several other U.S. security assistance, counterdrug, and capacity-building efforts around the world."

The Strategy names these components: 1.) Crime-Terror-Insurgency Nexus. 2.) Drug Trafficking, 3.) Human Smuggling, 4.) Trafficking in Persons, 5.) Weapons Trafficking, 6.) Intellectual Property Theft, and 7.) Cybercrime.

Crime - 5-13-12

dwf_admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 21:12:57 -0700

(crime - transnational organized crime - definition) "Transnational organized crime refers to those self-perpetuating associations of individuals who operate transnationally for the purpose of obtaining power, influence, monetary and/or commercial gains, wholly or in part by illegal means, while protecting their activities through a pattern of corruption and/or violence, or while protecting their illegal activities through a transnational organizational structure and the exploitation of transnational commerce or communication mechanisms. There is no single structure under which transnational organized criminals operate; they vary from hierarchies to clans, networks, and cells, and may evolve to other structures. The crimes they commit also vary. Transnational organized criminals act conspiratorially in their criminal activities and possess certain characteristics which may include, but are not limited to:

• In at least part of their activities they commit violence or other acts which are likely to intimidate, or make actual or implicit threats to do so;

• They exploit differences between countries to further their objectives, enriching their organization, expanding its power, and/or avoiding detection/apprehension;

• They attempt to gain influence in government, politics, and commerce through corrupt as well as legitimate means;

• They have economic gain as their primary goal, not only from patently illegal activities but also from investment in legitimate businesses; and

• They attempt to insulate both their leadership and membership from detection, sanction, and/or prosecution through their organizational structure."

Economics - Data - 5-13-12

dwf_admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:59:29 -0700

(2007 - economics - economic impact of illicit drug use) "In 2007, the cost of illicit drug use totaled more than $193 billion. Direct and indirect costs attributable to illicit drug use are estimated in three principal areas: crime, health, and productivity.

• Crime includes three components: criminal justice system costs ($56,373,254,000), crime victim costs ($1,455,555,000), and other crime costs ($3,547,885,000). These subtotal $61,376,694,000.

• Health includes five components: specialty treatment costs ($3,723,338,000), hospital and emergency department costs for nonhomicide cases ($5,684,248,000), hospital and emergency department costs for homicide cases ($12,938,000), insurance administration costs ($544,000), and other health costs ($1,995,164,000). These subtotal $11,416,232,000.

• Productivity includes seven components: labor participation costs ($49,237,777,000), specialty treatment costs for services provided at the state level ($2,828,207,000), specialty treatment costs for services provided at the federal level ($44,830,000), hospitalization costs ($287,260,000), incarceration costs ($48,121,949,000), premature mortality costs (nonhomicide: $16,005,008,000), and premature mortality costs (homicide: $3,778,973,000). These subtotal $120,304,004.

"Taken together, these costs total $193,096,930,000, with the majority share attributable to lost productivity."

^{"(a) Incarceration and homicide components of Productivity not included in Crime. This may be considered the “base model” in the analysis. Since some productivity is lost to crime (as when incarceration or homicide ensues), these elements may be treated as either crime costs or productivity costs. The numbers in this column parse the estimates so that all lost productivity is treated as a productivity cost.}

Medical Marijuana - History - 5-13-12

dwf_admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:28:22 -0700

(medical cannabis - history) "The first known mention of cannabis as a medicine appears in the world's oldest known medical text, the Pen Ts'ao Ching. Apparently composed by Emperor Shen-Nung around 2800 B.C., the oldest written copy dates back to the first century and suggests that cannabis may be useful in treating hundreds of conditions, including rheumatism, menstrual fatigue, and malaria."

Medical Marijuana - Research - 5-13-12

dwf_admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:12:07 -0700

(medical cannabis - vaporization) "These results suggest that the respiratory effects of cannabis can decrease with the use of a vaporizer. The data reveal that respiratory symptoms like cough, phlegm, and tightness in the chest increase with cigarette use and cannabis use, but are less severe among users of a vaporizer."

Alcohol - Data - 5-13-12

dwf_admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 13:41:26 -0700

(2009 - alcohol - driving fatalities) "Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities declined 20% from 13,491 to 10,839 from 2006 to 2009, the most recent year for which fatality data are available (7). However, the proportion of all motor vehicle fatalities that involve at least one alcohol-impaired driver has remained stable at about 33%, because non-alcohol-impaired driving fatalities have declined at the same rate as alcohol-impaired fatalities (7). This study indicated that alcohol-impaired driving rates remain disproportionally high among young men, binge drinkers, persons who do not always wear a seatbelt, and persons living in the Midwest."

Alcohol - Data - 5-12-12

dwf_admin — Sat, 12 May 2012 21:58:54 -0700

(2010 - alcohol - driving impairment) "The findings in this report confirm those from the most recent National Roadside Survey, which in 2007 found that only a small percentage of adult drivers are alcohol-impaired. That survey showed that 2.2% of drivers on the road on Friday afternoon or Friday or Saturday night had a BAC of ≥0.08 g/dL (12). Additionally, the findings in this report are consistent with alcohol-impaired driving fatality data. Men accounted for 81% of all alcohol-impaired driving episodes in 2010 and 82% of all alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2009 (1). Likewise, men aged 21–34 accounted for 32% of alcohol-impaired driving episodes and 35% of all alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes (Tonja Lindsey, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, personal communication, 2011)."

recent posts for dwf_admin

Drug Testing - 5-15-12

Drug Testing - 5-15-12

Medical Marijuana - Research - 5-16-12

Crime - 5-13-12

Crime - 5-13-12

Economics - Data - 5-13-12

Medical Marijuana - History - 5-13-12

Medical Marijuana - Research - 5-13-12

Alcohol - Data - 5-13-12

Alcohol - Data - 5-12-12