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.
My Overdose on “Benzo Dope” Was Part of a Current Wave
It’s hard to write a story about events of which you have almost no recollection. But as the days pass, bits and pieces have started to come back to me, together with the accounts of people who interacted with me before and after I overdosed on “benzo dope.” | Filter Magazine, USA
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:
Nottinghamshire cannabis grower found hiding in wheelie bin jailed
A drug farmer found hiding inside a wheelie bin by a police sniffer dog has been jailed for eight months | BBC, UK
Police in Wisbech find drugs worth £245k
In a post on Facebook, officers from the force said “someone will be missing” the confiscated drugs | BBC, UK
Bedford and Rushden cannabis factories discovered in police raids
Three cannabis factories found in homes have been dismantled by police in a series of raids across three counties | 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: Liquid cocaine in wine bottles among €2m drug seizure
Irish police have arrested seven people and seized drugs worth more than €2m (£1.7m) in a major operation against organised crime in Dublin | BBC, UK
Portsmouth drug-dealing teacher caught with cocaine banned
David Thorn was a maths teacher at the Portsmouth Academy when he was arrested by Hampshire Constabulary with the Class A drug in April 2019 | BBC, 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.
How Long Does Heroin Stay in Your System?
Heroin is one of a group of drugs known as opiates. The drug has strong sedative (‘downer’) and painkilling effects. Most often Heroin comes in powder form. It can vary in colour from brown to white. Users can inject it, sniff it or smoke it on foil or in a tobacco-based joint | 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.
MDMA trials under review in Canada over alleged abuse of study participants
Health Canada confirms reviews into trials following complaint of ‘alleged investigator misconduct’ | Guardian, UK
Other Drug News in the UK
Also in the news this week:
Arrests and £100,000 seized in series of drugs raids
Police have arrested 10 men and one woman and seized about £100,000 in cash and suspected illegal drugs | BBC, UK
The EncroChat Hack Was Hailed as a Major Coup Against Gangsters. But Europe Is Still Awash With Drugs
When police hacked into organised crime’s secret messaging network, it led to a wave of high-profile arrests and drug busts. Two years on, analysis by VICE World News shows that it has failed to dent drug supply | VICE, UK
‘The PCC are after me’: the drug cartel with Paraguay in its clutches
A Brazilian former prison gang is threatening to turn its neighbour into a narcostate and its deadly tentacles extend much further | Guardian, UK
Nearly 400 drug driving cases abandoned due to lab delays
Since 2019 police have been able to conduct roadside mouth swabs and request blood samples from drivers suspected of being impaired by drugs | BBC, UK
Merseyside drug dealer caught after photo found on his phone
A drug dealer was identified and caught after police found a photograph on his mobile phone of a distinctive mural | BBC, UK
Photo by Hans Reniers on Unsplash
