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Show drug testing HILL TOP TIMES 12 July 10, 19S7 lobs yoeOd oiurfsfCQmdIomg resulltfs TesfiirDCjj last two years. It spent $81.5 million By MSgt. D wight Trimmer Air Force News Service WASHINGTON (AFNS) The g Defense Department's labs have screened more than seven million specimens over the last two years with "no significant problems," according to a Department of Defense drug-testin- drug testing expert. Dr. John F. Mazzuchi of the department's Health Affairs Office, said the g military's program has yielded outstanding results since November 1983. He noted that drug abuse among military members has drug-testin- since 1980. dropped by The military's 1985 survey on drug abuse showed that nine percent of all servicemembers surveyed had used illicit drugs within the past 30 days. That compares to 27 percent in 1980 and 19 percent in 1982. "We believe our success is due primarily to the expanded urinalysis program, strong command support and extensive education of our personnel," Dr. Mazzuchi said. The Defense Department has spent more than $180 million on its drug abuse prevention program during the two-thir- "adverse action" was taken because a negative sample was reported to the field as positive. The Air Force notified those people for whom positive results were not ds in fiscal 1985 and $99.1 million in fiscal 1986. Dr. Mazzuchi said the figures include costs of urinalysis testing, education, treatment, evaluation, training and personnel. The Defense Department began its g program in 1971. During the '70s, the services operated a to a forensic environment with all urine specimens handled according to strict procedures and able to methods scientific analyzed by withstand legal challenges," Dr. Mazzuchi said. chain-of-custod- supportable. In August 1982, with the entire system strained, DOD dissolved the laboraregional tory system. The Navy began using its labs to test Navy and Marine Corps specimens. The Army and Air Force agreed to continue with a cooperative testing program. The Defense Department now uses y tri-servic- e, drug-testin- g Concerned by the high drug-abus-e rates reported in the 1980 survey, DOD stepped up its drug testing; however, the laboratories were unable to handle the workload. g laboratory sysDr. Mazzuchi explained that the tem. The military labs were each new requirements for handling speciresponsible for a given geographic mens using area. proceIn 1980, the Defense Department dures were labor intensive. He said conducted its first worldwide survey because of those increased requireto measure the use of alcohol and ments, labs needed more trained peodrugs among servicemembers. The ple and additional instruments. g labs began to unThe survey showed marijuana was, by far, the most widely abused illicit drug cover problems. The Navy reported iramong servicemembers. regularities at both its Oakland and San Diego drug testing labs involving A In 1981, drug testing changed. as many as 8,000 urine samples. procedure was developed to test for Later, a panel reviewing operations marijuana through urinalysis. Additionally, courts ruled that the military and procedures at Army and Air could take disciplinary action against Force labs would find that only 49 percent of scientific records and 43 perindividuals for drug abuse based solecent of on urine a records were test. positive ly "This required our legally supportable. Dr. Mazzuchi said, however, that no laboratories to change from a clinical drug-testin- tri-servi-ce drug-testin- chain-of-custo- 11 laboratories, nine mil- g itary and two civilian contract labs. According to Dr. Mazzuchi, irregularities at all the labs dy drug-testin- g have been resolved. From the start, DOD's g policies have favored the individual A sample is not reported positive unless it has been confirmed by two different tests. Additionally, all specimens must be handled according to strict drug-testin- drug-testin- chain-of-custod- drug-testin- chain-of-custod- y requirements. Dr. Mazzuchi said if any of these procedures are not followed, a specimen is considered negative. "Protecting individuals from erroneous identification is as important as detecting and deterring drug abuse," he said. y drug-testin- g w CAES grr--- SATURDAY JULY 11TH iim ' f;t m MUSIC OF THE 50'S AND 60'S o-- I HOT DOGS 3$1.00 FREE PEPSI IN REAR WINDOW SLIDERS JUST $39.95 is'& - - k S" if t ? STORE SPECIALS f . I fx I I jU , 1 1 : -- - y .'M PA I NT Auto - Residential 1 1 - Mobile Glass 40 W. Riverdale Rd. 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