It is worth asking yourself - “if there was a miracle detox drink why isn't it well known?”, “if detox drinks worked why would the dangers of detoxing alone be so widely publicised?”, “would it be better to get some professional advice than risk my job and health on an unknown quick fix?”, “if I need a detox is this really going to help me in the long term?”
What are your thoughts?
The advice clearly states that any drugs policy or screening programme should be implemented with the intention of helping employees that are experiencing drug problems. In reality is this how substance misuse policies are interpreted by employees and do they feel that a positive drug test result will mean they get help or get the sack?
One of the latest 'tools' to crack drug problems is the 'cocaine torch', a device that some police forces take onto the streets and shine up the noses of night time revellers in the hope of identifying traces of cocaine. The main problem with this approach is that it doesn't work:
“The company the torches are purchased from, JNE Marketing, only advertise the torches as suitable for testing crack cocaine residue and crack pipes.
It doesn't mention anything about street cocaine which people snort. The company said the cocaine needs to be at least 87% pure to fluoresce under UV light.
The highest level of cocaine purity you can get on the street is around 45%. It's not known why police from certain forces chose to use the torch on people's faces.”
Aside from the ineffectiveness of the torch when used in the capacity of nightclubbers snorting cocaine, is there a bigger problem? I.e. is it the people out on the town who should be targeted or the dealers bringing in tonnes of cocaine onto our streets every year? Obviously there needs to be proper consideration of both problems, however surely it is time that we grasped the concept that drug use does not equal drug abuse, but it is drug abuse that is the real problem?
