Here’s a summary of some of the more interesting drug testing news stories and articles from around the UK this week. As always, if drugs are a concern for you, your family or your organisation, Zoom Testing is here to help. Contact us with all of your drug testing requirements.
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines belong to a group of drugs known as depressants. Unfortunately, benzodiazepines have an extremely high rate of abuse. In the UK, the most common benzodiazepine is Valium. Slang names for the drug include benzos, temazies, jellies, eggs, moggies and vallies. A benzodiazepines drug test will detect BZD in urine within hours of using the drug and possibly up to 2 – 14 days after use.
Benzodiazepines and Drug Testing
Unfortunately, benzodiazepines have an extremely high rate of abuse; however, we now have ways of drug testing for the use of benzodiazepines | Zoom Testing, UK
Cannabis
Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug in the UK. At Zoom Testing we offer a very wide range of drug testing kits for cannabis. This week, there were a number of cannabis related news stories that caught the eye:
Legal cannabis sales are starting in New Jersey within days
Starting 21 April, all adults in the state will be able to purchase cannabis at approved medical marijuana dispensaries | Independent, UK
Move over, Giuliani: how loopholes sparked a golden age of cannabis in New York
With possession legalised, weed trucks and pop-ups are everywhere. But that could all change when the state swoops in | Guardian, UK
Switzerland to launch 1st cannabis sale pilot in summer
Swiss authorities have approved a plan for pilot testing the sale and use of cannabis for recreational purposes this summer in Basel, joining in on a debate over the pros and cons of selling cannabis legally | DW, Germany
Fruit snack or edible? Study finds some cannabis products look like popular snacks
Some cannabis edibles look remarkably like popular snack foods and may be easily confused for them, finds a new study led by researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence | EurekAlert, USA
US bride and caterer arrested for allegedly drugging guests with cannabis
Police in Florida have arrested a bride and her caterer after finding they allegedly added cannabis to food that was later served to wedding guests | BBC, UK
Litter clear-up after Leeds pro-cannabis park gathering
A group of students have staged a mass clear-up after piles of rubbish were left behind by crowds smoking cannabis in Leeds | BBC, UK
Cocaine
Powder cocaine continues to be the second most commonly used drug of abuse in the UK, after Cannabis. Zoom Testing supply a wide range of drug testing kits for cocaine. In the news this week:
Dublin: Arrest as €1.75m of cocaine found in Clondalkin
A man has been arrested after cocaine with an estimated street value of €1.75m (£1.45m) was seized in Dublin | BBC, UK
Charities warn of the dangers of cocaine… and advise what to do if someone overdoses
Our investigations editor spoke to police, charities and council workers about the rise in cocaine deaths | Times and Star, UK
Racing greyhounds ‘being drugged with cocaine’, MSPs told
Greyhound racing in Scotland is “beyond reform” as some dogs are drugged with illegal substances such as cocaine, MSPs were told | Scotsman, UK
Heroin
Heroin is a pain-killing drug, which is derived from the dried milk of the opium poppy. Heroin belongs to a group of drugs known as opiates, other opiates include morphine and methadone. Heroin is also known as smack, H, junk, brown, skag and gear. Zoom Testing is a leading supplier of drug testing kits for Heroin.
1 in 10 People Have Cocaine or Heroin on Their Fingerprints
Scientists have discovered that illegal drugs have become so pervasive that 13% of people participating in a University of Surrey research project were identified as having remnants of class A drugs on their fingerprints – even though they never used them before | Zoom Testing, UK
MDMA
The common name for the drug MDMA is Ecstasy which is a controlled substance. Ecstasy Drug Test Kits are available from Zoom Testing. We can also supply party drugs test kits.
Molly – the return of MDMA
MDMA is not what it says on the tin – It is a drug made by combining a series of chemicals, and comes in a pill or tablet form, usually with a silly drawing on the pill to let you know what you are getting into | Zoom Testing. UK
Other Drug News in the UK
Also in the news this week:
How £3.99 party drugs made their way into mainstream culture
We spoke to clubbers and experts for the real facts behind the use of poppers |Liverpool Echo, UK
Drugs, always drugs’: how the rock ‘n’ roll dream almost killed me
As a rock journalist, the music industry gave my drugs habit the perfect cover – and things got terrifying | Telegraph, UK
Drug gang kept vulnerable Bedford couple captive, court told
Drug dealers intimidated vulnerable people and used their home to run a drugs county line, a court heard | BBC, UK
Mac Miller: Drug dealer who sold deadly pills to rapper sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison
‘He would never knowingly take a pill with fentanyl, ever. He wanted to live and was excited about the future,’ Miller’s mother wrote in a emotional statement | Independent, UK
The Rise of “Queer” Drugs – video
LGBTQ+ people tend to use drugs at significantly higher rates than straight people – why is this? In this episode, we speak to Jay Jackson from Volteface to explore how queer culture and drug culture are deeply entwined, and how maybe all drugs could be considered queer | VICE News, UK
Photo by Melany @ tuinfosalud.com on Unsplash
