Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA) May 22nd – 24th, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, known for its festive spirit, vibrant live music scene and cuisine. However, recent reports have been overshadowing the fun and friendly image of the state, suggesting New Orleans as being ‘amid an accelerating public health crisis of drug-related deaths, driven chiefly but not exclusively by the ongoing national opiate epidemic’.
The alarming rise in opioid related deaths in New Orleans has mirrored spikes in cities across the country, which has claimed more than half a million lives from 2000 – 2015, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2016, the city had 211 deaths from drug overdoses, a 129 percent jump from the 92 deaths in 2015. This statistic was made up of polydrug users and opioid addicts of which a total of 166 New Orleans residents lost their lives to.
Additionally, the largest increase in accidental deaths was among those linked to opioids like heroin and fentanyl. Deaths involving fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, more than tripled from 13 in 2015 to 48 in 2016 and in many overdose victims, multiple drugs were present such as cocaine, present in 105 of 166 deaths in 2016.
A public health official has stated that ‘the city is already taking steps to curb the rise in drug deaths’. Naloxone, which acts as an antidote to opioid overdoses, has been made available without a prescription.
Randox Toxicology
Our Evidence MultiSTAT analyser simultaneously detects up to 21 classical, prescription and synthetic drugs of abuse from one single sample. The Evidence MultiSTAT is designed for a variety of matrices including oral fluid, blood and urine, providing a complete drug profile.
With an automated process and minimal sample preparation, testing can be carried out by non-laboratory trained staff in any workplace
Simply add the sample to the cartridge, then load the sample and tip cartridge into the analyser and press start. Quality and reliable results will be given in just 20 minutes.
To find out more about the Evidence MultiSTAT email info@randoxtoxicology.com or visit us at DATIA 22nd-24th May 2018 in New Orelans!