Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse

About: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse is a nonprofit organization based out in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Poison control & Population. The organization has 37 authors who have published 65 publications receiving 2341 citations.

An assessment of oral fluid drug screening devices

Abstract: This project was to examine point-of-contact (POC) oral fluid drug screening devices to determine the suitability of such devices for potential use in the enforcement of drug-impaired driving in Canada. Oral fluid samples were collected from a group of individuals who admitted to having recently ingested drugs as well as a number of individuals who had not been using drugs. These samples were tested on one of three oral fluid screening devices to determine the presence of cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, opioids, and benzodiazepines. Each participant also provided a second oral fluid sample that was sent to a reference laboratory for independent analysis. Comparison of the results from the oral fluid screening device and those from the laboratory analysis provided estimates of sensitivity and specificity for each of the six drugs/drug categories. Sensitivity exceeded 0.80 for cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, and opioids. False positive rates for these drugs/drug categories were ...

The 1993 General Social Survey. II: Alcohol problems in Canada

Abstract: Rates and correlates of problems associated with the use of alcohol are reported from the 1993 General Social Survey in Canada. Approximately 1 in 11 drinkers (9.2%) reported that drinking has had an adverse effect on his or her social life, physical health, happiness, home life or marriage, work, or finances in the past year. The most commonly reported problems concerned physical health (5.1%), and financial position (4.7%). Approximately one in eight drinkers (12.9%) had driven a car within an hour after consuming two or more drinks in the previous year. Furthermore, more than two of every five respondents reported that they had experienced some problem due to other people's drinking. In a multivariate analysis, age, marital status, gender, religious attendance and employment status were the strongest predictors of problem drinking. The number of heavy drinking occasions is a stronger predictor of drinking problems than is overall level of consumption. Language: en

Driving after drinking in Canada: findings from the Canadian Addiction Survey.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Despite substantial decreases in the magnitude of the alcohol-crash problem over the past 25 years, many Canadians continue to drive under the influence of alcohol, causing thousands of serious injuries and deaths every year. METHODS: Data from the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS) were used to determine the prevalence of self-reported driving after drinking and the characteristics of those who engage in the behaviour. RESULTS: Overall, 11.6% of licensed drivers in Canada reported operating a vehicle within an hour of consuming two or more drinks containing alcohol. Less than 5% of licensed drivers accounted for 86% of the more than 20 million (estimated) past-year drinking and driving occurrences. Drinking Drivers reported more extensive and problematic use of alcohol, and were more likely to report illegal drug use relative to Non-drinking Drivers. CONCLUSION: Driving after drinking remains a common behaviour among Canadian drivers. Those who persist in driving after drinking can be distinguished from other drivers on the basis of their greater use of alcohol and drugs. Those who drive after drinking frequently consume even greater quantities of alcohol on more frequent occasions and are more likely to experience problems as a result of their drinking. These findings suggest that countermeasure efforts need to be continued on all levels and expanded to specifically target high-risk heavy drinkers. Language: en