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According to Quest Diagnostics, 2016 saw continued changes in drug test positive rates in Central New England. In Massachusetts, Plymouth, Cape Cod, Framingham, Worcester and Springfield have the highest overall laboratory positive rates in the state (5.5% or greater). In Connecticut, New London County had the highest overall positive rate for the state (5.5% or greater). Not surprisingly, marijuana positives were the most frequent laboratory positive in both Massachusetts (2.7%) and Connecticut (2.0%). The next highest laboratory positive rate in both states was for amphetamines (1.3%), but this number is likely contributed to by prescriptions for medications from that category (see drugs used to treat ADHD). These data are laboratory positives and do not reflect MRO-confirmed positive rates, nor do they include synthetic opioid positive rates. The overall positive rate nationally as analyzed by Quest Diagnostics is over 4%. Though this rate reflects raw laboratory data, it is ...

Oral Fluids Testing — Current Barriers to USDOT Approval Oral fluids testing offered by several national drug testing labs ( Quest , Alere , and Omega for example) provides a new method for the detection of metabolites for drug testing, but is not currently approved for use by the USDOT. One barrier that currently exists is that the USDOT requires the ability to split each specimen. Two oral fluid testing devices would be considered two separate specimens in the eyes of the DOT, and therefor unacceptable. One clear solution is for the collection swab to be split into two pieces and be deposited into two vials, just like a urine specimen. For this to work, it must be built into the device, as manually cutting the swab would risk contamination. Another problem faced by the labs is in the collection process itself. The current methods mostly involve the employee (or “donor”) handling the specimen collection device and to place the swab into the vials, with the collector...

Smart Test Boston  — Industry Analysis Report FMCSA’s   minimum random testing rate is currently 25%. This rate may soon increase to 50% based on the following factors. As recently as May 2017, FMCSA and  FTA  have publicly reported that the national random testing positive rate is just below 1% (approximately 0.96%). Unlike when the minimum testing rate was lowered from 50% to 25% in 2016, which required the positive rate to be under 1% for two years, a return to 50% would be triggered when the positive rate is reported as being over 1% for just one calendar year. Because the national positive rate is already a fraction of a percent below the triggering threshold, a rise in the minimum random testing rate seems likely. The regulations are clear that “the Administrator will increase the minimum annual percentage rate” should the 1% threshold be met. Note that the regulations say “will” and not “may.” Several factors will almost certainly cause the positive rate...

Smart Test   will waive our collection fees for minors involved with the   Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s   Opioid Task Force   as part of a trial program we have created for the 2017 summer. Youths currently participating in a Recovery Support Center, Recovery High School or other eligible program funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health may have drug tests conducted at   Smart Test’s Boston office   for no fee. Call Smart Test (617–963–8378) for details or to   partner   with us. The opioid crisis is real and it is indiscriminate. Smart Test is fully committed to assisting the state of Massachusetts and its neighbors in their efforts to combat the opioid crisis and we are concerned about the welfare of the children who live in our community. ( Smart Test  is a drug test collection site located in Boston, Massachusetts)