The appropriate specimen for screening for drugs of abuse is a 'spot' urine sample (20-30 ml) which should be stored in a sterile plastic container without preservative. The patient's full name, hospital or other identification number, and the date and time of collection should be written clearly on the specimen container and on the request form. It is also important to record each client's full home postcode. Special care should be taken to ensure that the specimen obtained is authentic i.e. it has been freshly voided by the patient under supervision, and not subsequently adulterated or substituted for a "drug free" specimen. A urine specimen for drugs of abuse screening should be sent by courier or first class mail, but if there is likely to be a delay in dispatch, it should be kept in a 4oC refrigerator prior to being sent to the laboratory.

Screening for drugs of abuse (as distinct from the investigation of volatile substance abuse) is carried out with urine specimens. A wide variety of drugs will be detected qualitatively by the "standard" screening procedure. However, some other substances of abuse are not sought routinely, and in these cases, the laboratory test which is relevant should be requested specifically.

It should be noted that analysis of urine specimens for "drugs of abuse" will only give information about current or recent drug usage. A specimen taken more than a few days after an episode of 'abuse' is likely to be negative on screening for most substances, with the notable exception of cannabis.

The range of substances detected in the "standard" screening procedure includes controlled drugs (CD), prescription-only medicines, medicines available over-the-counter (OTC), and illicit drugs. Confirmation of the presence of specific substances will be routinely carried out where amphetamine and opiate class drugs are detected on screening.

Concord, NH - A House subcommittee yesterday approved a bill to reduce the consequences of possessing small amounts of marijuana.

The Criminal Justice and Public Safety subcommittee voted 3-1 to reduce to a violation, punishable by a $200 fine, possession of less than one-quarter ounce of marijuana. It is not clear when the full committee will vote on the bill.

Current law makes possession of marijuana a misdemeanor, which carries a fine and criminal record upon conviction. A violation would not mean a record, Rep. David Welch, R-Kingston, said.

"Young folks who aren't always making intelligent choices could screw up their chances at a Pell Grant for college later on," under current law, he said. A quarter ounce is the equivalent of seven or eight joints, Welch said, referring to marijuana cigarettes.

The subcommittee set a lower limit than the original version of House Bill 1623, which would have decriminalized holding up to one and a quarter ounces. It also corrected a drafting error in the bill that would have removed penalties for selling small amounts of marijuana.

Rep. John Tholl, R-Whitefield, who is the Dalton police chief, voted with Welch and Rep. Ellen Nielsen, D-Claremont, for the amended bill. Tholl said possession of a quarter-ounce is "far less onerous than an ounce." He said it's not clear how far the full Criminal Justice committee, with its high percentage of retired law enforcement officers, will view the bill.

Matt Simon of the N.H. Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy said he was happy to see the bill advance. Current penalties are "unnecessarily harsh," he said.

"These representatives have taken an honest look at the facts and they've agreed to support punishments which come closer to fitting the offense." Rep. Delmar Burridge, D-Keene, opposed the bill, sponsored by Reps. Jeffrey Fontas, D-Nashua, Andres Edwards, D-Nashua, and Charles Weed, D-Keene.

Copyright: 2008 The Union Leader Corp.

Source: Union Leader (Manchester, NH), Union Leader - Front Page News