A MORE reliable form of drug testing which analyses hair instead of urine or saliva was introduced to Bermuda at a public forum yesterday. The Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) partnered with the Psychemedics Corporation, inventors of the patented method, to establish the practice here. Its presence was welcomed by Health Minister Patrice Minors at a workshop at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess. The Minister lauded its potential as a tool in improving the health of the community. "Drugs are an increasing menace in our homes. They can devastate our families and tear at the fabric of all that we hold dear to us. As the Minister of Health & Family Services I am cognisant of the impact that substance abuse has on our client base and I salute any entity willing to stand up and be counted in the fight to combat drug use in Bermuda." [continues 563 words]
Police Yesterday Dismissed Claims They Were Ignoring The Presence Of A Crack House In Warwick An area landowner yesterday publicly accused officers of failing to investigate a known haven for drug users in Hillview Estate despite the many complaints he had made about it to them. Officers denied any knowledge of the property -- detailed by a correspondent signing himself "Concerned" in a Letter to the Editor of The Royal Gazette -- but admitted there was little they could do without proof of illegal activity. "Unfortunately, we have a lot of homes in Bermuda that are used specifically as crack houses," said police media spokesperson Dwayne Caines. "And what we do, is make arrests in and around those areas we know to be frequented by people who are trafficking, selling and using narcotics. It's something we do on a regular basis. [continues 754 words]
Unite For A Drug-Free Bermuda A RED ribbon campaign launched earlier this week, hopes to see residents combine their efforts to make Bermuda a drug-free community. On Tuesday, the Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education (PRIDE) kicked off its Red Ribbon celebration -- a series of events designed to highlight success in drug prevention -- with the theme, "Unite for a Drug-Free Bermuda". According to event/parent co-ordinator, Kenlyn Butterfield, the celebration has been held during the same period for the last seven years. [continues 1287 words]
A PEMBROKE man battling serious liver disease has waited more than six weeks to learn whether his US doctor's recommendation, that he be given marijuana to ease suffering caused by prescribed medications, will be supported under Bermuda law. The man was informed that his liver was pre-cirrhotic and then diagnosed with Hepatitis C, around 18 months ago. The diagnosis should have come nearly ten years earlier, the man declared yesterday. He said that blood he donated because his sister was ill was discarded by King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) as unfit for use. Instead of following protocol and informing the man's doctor or the Health Department, the hospital allegedly did nothing. [continues 1496 words]
TESTING for illicit drugs is a relatively recent phenomenon in Bermuda. Prior to 1984, when the alco-analyser was introduced, it simply didn't happen. Nineteen years later, as Bermuda works to deal with its drug problem, a number of companies have turned to Benedict Associates in the hope of getting employees at risk back on track and thereby reducing the severity of the crisis. ACCORDING to Vaughn Mosher, Benedict Associates' managing director, drug screening for illicit drugs was first used on the island in 1996 to test Bermuda's athletes. The impact, he said, was significant and the process was taken into the workplace. [continues 2087 words]
