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OHS Health & Safety Services, Inc.-  Article

"WHAT EVERY PARENT SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DRUG-ABUSE IN AMERICA!"  (A primer for the uninformed or misinformed!)
Copyright © 1999, 2000 OHS, Inc.   All rights reserved.

"Drug-Use Is Life Abuse"   -   Drug-Use Is Self-Abuse   -   Drugs Destroy Dreams!

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 9) But don’t many people use drugs without losing control?  Some start that way, but drug-use tends to escalate with time.  Using “a little” turns into using “a lot”.  Also, there is often a “gateway” effect:  the initial use of what many perceive as less serious drugs (e.g., marijuana) can lead to the use of more serious drugs (e.g., cocaine); sporadic use can develop into chronic use; and people who never considered addiction a possibility for themselves personally can become desperate addicts. Further, the psychology of addiction is such that it includes a process of denial; addicts very seldom admit their addiction voluntarily.

10) What about drug or alcohol-related crime at school by students?  Drug abuse has a major impact on “schoolyard” crime.  Students who have a $300-$800 a month (or, per week) drug habit do not usually support it with “just” their McDonald’s paycheck.  GM, for instance has arrested over 500 employees for dealing (selling) drugs on the job. If you have drug-using students in your school, you probably have student drug dealers in your school. 

11) OK, so cocaine is serious, but just how dangerous can marijuana really be?  Marijuana can be a highly addictive drug.  It is retained in the body several days and can cause mental and physical impairment long after the “high” wears off.  A study at Stanford University had airline pilots smoke relatively weak government-issued marijuana cigarettes, and then tested them on computerized flight simulators.  Many pilots had simulated airline “crashes” right after their marijuana use.  More alarming, it also resulted in simulated “crashes” 24 hours later, when every pilot reported no residual effects and said they had no “apprehensions” about flying! 

12) What about student alcohol abuse?   Among eighth, 10th, and 12th-graders surveyed in 1999, 15 percent, 26 percent, and 31 percent  respectively reported they had engaged in binge drinking – quickly "downing" five or more drinks – “sometime during the previous two weeks” . 

13) How long do drugs stay in your system?In very large part, it will vary depending on a person's physiological makeup (e.g., height, weight, age, current state of health, state of mind).  Other considerations include the person's "frequency" (1x per day? 3-5x per day?) and "quantity" of use and the "length of time" (days? weeks? months?) of their drug-use prior to testing.  However, for most people, detectable levels of the following drugs stay in the body for these periods of time:

Marijuana, 2-5 days (the daily, heavy user can sometimes be detected up to 30+ days)
Cocaine, 1-2 days
Amphetamines, 1-2 days
Opiates, 1-3 days
Phencyclidine (PCP), 1-8 days
Alcohol, less than 24 hours
(a more complete listing of drugs and their detections times is available elsewhere: click here )

For chronic users, drugs (other than alcohol) can be retained in the system much longer after their last use—up to 60 days in extreme situations.

14) I am certain that my children don’t do ANY drugs!  How does drug abuse affect me?  Drug abuse affects all citizens in the form of higher taxes, higher insurance rates, more crime, higher health care costs, and higher consumer prices.  General Motors estimates that drug abuse costs them one billion ($1,000,000,000) dollars every year!  Surely you realize that GM (and Ford, Chrysler, et al) MUST offset that expense by increasing the price you and I are required to pay for their cars! 

15) Does drug testing stop or at least help reduce drug-abuse?  There are numerous success stories in both the private and public sectors.  One is the U.S. Navy’s:  a decrease to only 4% (down from 48%) of its members engaged in illicit drug use.  This is specifically due to Navy’s implementation back in the 1980’s of a comprehensive drug abuse prevention program- including on-going, random drug testing - that continues even today. 

16) What specimens are commonly used for drug testing?  Urine specimen analysis is the most common.  Blood analysis is not common because it’s “invasive” (needle used).  “Oral” fluids analysis has recently become available, however it does not do as good a job detecting marijuana-use as is provided by testing urine.  Hair specimen analysis is gaining in use. It will detect drug-use as far back as ninety (90) days, much longer than it is detectable in the urine.  The San Bernardino Archdiocese of Catholic schools – largest in the nation – uses the hair analysis method for testing all of their middle and high school students. 

17) I’m a single parent.  How much will drug testing my child cost me?  If you can bring your son or daughter to our corporate offices in Costa Mesa, California, we will test them for $18 (urine) or $60 (hair). For your reference: the average testing fee nationwide ranges $45-$65 (urine) and $90-$150 (hair).  Providing student drug testing at reduced rates for the student's parents is a local community service contribution of our company.  
If you are a parent who lives outside of Orange County, California and would like to secure affordable ($10) drug testing kits that can be used for testing your children at your home, then click here and go to the page on our site that explains the features of our ImmediaTest™ drug test kits that we can ship to you at your home or office.
Keeping Teens In Hand
Finally, if you suspect that your child is a "Youth At Risk" - that they abusing drugs, or, even if they are not, if you suspect that they are frequently "exposed" to other children who abuse drugs - there IS something you can do about it.  According to many experts, to be an effective, hands-on, "Parent Taking Action", at least 10 of the following 12 must be true.  You must consistently:

• Monitor what your children are watching on TV.
• Monitor their use of the Internet AND e-mail.
• Put restrictions on CDs they buy.
• Know where your children are after school and during weekends.
• Be told the truth about your children's whereabouts.
• Be aware of your children's academic performance.
• Impose a curfew.
• Make it clear that you would be ''extremely upset'' if your child used marijuana.
• Eat dinner with your children six or seven nights a week.
• Turn the TV off during dinner.
• Assign regular chores for your child.
• Have an adult present when the child comes home from school.

(end of article)
CLICK HERE to return to PART 1 (beginning) of this article.  (This is Part 2).

"Youth At Risk"-  OHS, Inc. Community Service Drug testing Program

Drug-Test your child at home for five (5) separate drug categories, $10.  Test results in 3-5 minutes.

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