Of all the substances that people abuse, alcohol remains at the top. What many people don’t realise is that alcohol—a legal substance—is one of the most addictive and destructive drugs out there. In Australia alone, up to 15 Australians die each day due to alcohol-related illnesses.

You’d think that cocaine, heroin, and ice (crystal meth), with all the horror stories attached to them, are the deadliest substances in existence. The truth is, however, prescription drugs trump them all in terms of body count. In 2012, prescription drug overdose has caused more than 16,000 deaths in the United States alone. Even though you need a prescription for these drugs, the fact that they are easier to get a hold of than heroin remains.

In 1898, pharmaceutical giant Bayer marketed heroin—that most addictive of substances—as a “non-addictive” substitute for morphine and a cough suppressant. You can’t blame them really, because at that point in history, pneumonia and tuberculosis claimed a lot of lives, with people dying of something as routine as cough and colds. The world desperately needed a remedy that would suppress coughing, and heroin perfectly fit the bill. Its sedative and painkilling effects also provided great relief for TB and pneumonia sufferers. Naturally, heroin became quite the popular remedy—until people started getting addicted to it. When it became apparent that heroin is not the non-addictive remedy it was purported to be, the drug rapidly fell out of favour and was eventually outlawed everywhere.

Long before they were used to create that highly dangerous drug cocaine, coca leaves were—and still are—used as herbal cures. Coca leaves contain alkaloids that serve medicinal purposes. Aside from helping suppress hunger, thirst, pain, and fatigue when chewed, coca leaves also ease altitude sickness.

Was there ever a time when a pet of yours looked longingly as you raise a bottle of beer to your lips? Some pet owners actually give them a sip, and it’s obvious the dog or cat actually liked it by the way they hungrily lapped on the beverage. Sure, it’s just speculation on our part that animals like ingesting certain substances too, but there are reports of animals in the wild that actually exhibit a liking for the good stuff. Wallabies in Australia, for example, seem to have quite a taste for opium poppies, if a report of a Tasmanian government official during a Parliamentary hearing is to be believed. The official told Parliament that wallabies enter poppy fields and get high, and later crash.

Ice is noted for causing horrific scarring in users, but these scars come after a long period of using the drug. There’s a street drug from Russia that puts the flesh-eating properties of crystal meth to shame. Called ‘krokodil’, this lethal mix of pills, petrol, cooking oil, and lighter fluid literally cause the skin of its users to rot in record time. Eventually, users will be left with skin that quite resembles that of a crocodile, which is probably where the drug got its name. It is a commonly used drug in the poorest communities of Russia, where an estimated three million people have gotten hooked on the drug.

With all the hoopla surrounding the gradual legalisation of cannabis in many parts of the United States, many people seem to forget that cannabis wasn’t always illegal. It was, in fact, legal tender enough to be used to pay taxes from 1631 all the way up until the early 1800s. The British are to blame for this, as the English navy heavily depended on cannabis hemp fibres that are used to produce ropes and sails for its ships. To show how important cannabis was to their economy, the British decreed that all farmers grow cannabis, and even illustrious names such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson obeyed that law.

For many years now, much has been said about the high that the innocent-seeming nutmeg provides. There have been countless reports of the nutmeg causing a certain type of high and in some cases, hallucinations. Using nutmeg as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs was prevalent in the 1960s and the 1970s, but it is said that the practice of using nutmeg as a recreational drug dates back to the time of the Crusades.

The critically acclaimed and widely popular American TV drama series Breaking Bad may have popularised crystal meth everywhere, but the drug that was a focal point of the show is hardly an American creation. Crystal meth was originally invented in Japan. First synthesised in 1893 by Japanese chemist Nagai Nagayoshi, the drug reached its current state or form when pharmacologist Akira Ogata reduced its ephedrine content in 1919. It is called shabu in Japan and in other Asian countries.

The drug problem is often labelled as an issue facing our youth, but there is growing evidence that there is a rise in drug use among people in their fifties and sixties, in the United States at least. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the increase can be attributed to aging members of the Flower Power generation, who were deep into drug use during the 1960s and 70s as part of the swelling counterculture movement.

There is still so much to know about illicit drugs, which are a bane to society and to the workplace as well. If you’re an employer and you still haven’t had time to create a drug and alcohol testing policy, waste no more time and do it. Such policies, after all, are in the best interest of everyone.

Keep your workplace drug safe. Contact Safework Health today for a confidential discussion.

Upon ingestion, Ketamine users typically feel like they are disassociated from their body. Hallucinations may also occur. It is also common for Ketamine users to feel sluggish, sleepy, confused and clumsy. In most cases, those who have ingested Ketamine may look drunk, and babble incessantly. Some may also have trouble with their memory.

The speed at which these effects kick in may vary depending upon the method of delivery. When injected, it doesn’t take more than 30 seconds. Those who snort Ketamine, however, will have to wait for five to ten minutes before they can feel the effects. Swallowing Ketamine takes even longer, at 20 minutes. The effects of ketamine usually last for approximately 45 to 90 minutes.

Unlike with most illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine, there isn’t much danger on overdosing of Ketamine. Because of its anaesthetic effects, the user is likely to pass out first before ingesting a lethal dose. However, the drug is not without its dangers, especially in the long term.

When taken outside one’s home, Ketamine can prove to be very dangerous, as it physically incapacitates—even paralyses—a user. Ketamine users who go out into the streets are likely to fall over and hurt themselves. They could also get run over by vehicles if they try crossing the street. Injecting Ketamine can also cause respiratory depression. As the body processes the drug, the heart rate becomes elevated, and that could lead to an irregular heartbeat, heart attack or stroke. Other long-term effects of Ketamine use include constant headaches, abdominal pain, diminished sense of smell due to snorting, poor memory and concentration and Ketamine bladder syndrome, a painful condition in which users find it hard to hold in urine. Incontinence is also a common symptom, and that can lead to bladder ulcerations.

Many opponents of employee drug testing decry the fact that only some employees are actually singled out for drug testing, particularly in random drug testing programs. If you have to test one, you might as well test them all. Though laws don’t really clearly state that you have to test all your employees, testing just a handful of employees could expose you to the possibility of anti-discrimination lawsuits. Let’s say that you had those handful of employees tested because of suspicions of substance abuse at work on their part. Even if you’re intentions are on point, that could be construed as singling people out based on race, gender, income level, or any protected status, and you certainly wouldn’t want to deal with that kind of problem.

Many employees meted disciplinary action after testing positive in a drug test often go to court questioning the accuracy and reliability of the drug test used. While drug testing technology is not infallible, the more expensive drug tests tend to be more accurate. Conversely, cheap screen tests — which many employers use to save money — are notorious for turning out false positive results, which expose whatever disciplinary actions taken to a legal challenge.

Always test honestly, and that means picking up an employee’s stray hair from a desk is out of the question. Sneakily getting a specimen sample from a worker or a job applicant without any consent is more than just dishonest. It also happens to be unlawful.

It should be made clear what the drug and alcohol policy is for. Generally, it’s all about ensuring the health and safety of everyone in the workplace, but you might also want to state how the policy can also help the company achieve its productivity and overall business goals.

Ideally, a drug and alcohol policy should cover all workers — from rank and file employees to top-tier management. Drug and alcohol abuse, after all, doesn’t make such distinctions.

Your drug and alcohol policy should explicitly state that using drugs or drinking alcohol while on duty will never be tolerated. Many workplace accidents are caused by a worker who is impaired, which means they used drugs or alcohol before going to work or during the workday.

If your drug and alcohol policy includes a program for on-site drug testing, it has to be up front about how it’s going to be conducted, or under what circumstances are they going to be done. For instance, people will need to know if the program includes random drug testing, or what drug testing method is going to be used.

Should there be employees who breach the drug and alcohol policy, it should be stated clearly what disciplinary actions will be taken against them. The kind of substance used, the severity of the offense, the degree of impairment, if proven, are all factors that need to be considered when coming up with disciplinary actions.

Safework Health has developed and reviewed thousands of drug and alcohol policies for businesses in a range of industries and sectors across Australia.

Contact us today to learn more.

Dealing with alcohol and drug use of employees is primarily the responsibility of the employer. To manage this problem, an employer should have a clearly written alcohol and drug abuse policy in place.

It should be explicitly stated in the alcohol policy that drinking alcohol on the job is strictly prohibited, and that corresponding disciplinary measures are to be meted against those caught breaching this rule. The punishment can be a simple oral reprimand or summary dismissal, depending on the circumstances and gravity of the breach. Employees who have endangered the health and safety of co-workers by drinking, particularly those who operate heavy machinery, should be penalised more severely than one who drank alcohol on the job but did not put anyone in danger.

Policies regarding employees’ use of alcohol during their off-hours and outside the workplace can get tricky. After all, the drinking was done during the employees’ personal time. Besides, there are laws that protect alcoholics from getting fired from their jobs simply for having an alcohol problem. If an employer sacks an employee for being an alcoholic despite not violating its no-alcohol policies at work, that employer could be at the receiving end of a lawsuit that could prove to be costly.

What employers should keep in mind is that while employees’ drinking during their personal time is none of their business, it is totally their concern when those employees’ performance at work is already affected by all that drinking. They will have a legitimate reason to take action because of the inability of these employees to perform according to the standards they have set for everyone in the workplace. When there is undeniable proof that the work performance and productivity of an employee with an alcohol problem have taken a dive, the employer can impose disciplinary measures ranging from suspension to outright dismissal.