Pubdate: Mon, 26 Dec 2011
Source: Navy Times (US)
Copyright: 2011 Gannett Government Media Corporation
Contact:  http://www.navytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5305
Author: Gidget Fuentesm, Staff writer

DOD SEEKS NEW TEST TO BUST SPICE USERS

SAN DIEGO - The Defense Department is teaming up with the National 
Institute on Drug Abuse to develop a department-wide method of 
catching service members who use synthetic marijuana, also known as spice.

The aim is to develop better urinalysis testing - either random or 
targeted - for all the services to use, according to a source who 
spoke on the condition of anonymity. The services now only screen to 
confirm suspected use and do not test randomly.

The new spice study was initiated earlier this year by the office of 
the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness and the 
NIDA, a Pentagon spokeswoman confirmed. The goal is "to identify and 
address gaps in existing technology in the screening for synthetic 
marijuana-like products," said Cynthia Smith, the spokeswoman. "The 
joint DoD-NIDA study is to offer potential solutions for the possible 
addition of synthetic marijuana-like compounds found in 'spice' to 
the DoD panel of tested drugs." The study would ensure a unified 
effort and route spice screenings through the Armed Forces Medical 
Examiner System.

Marilyn Huestis, NIDA's chemistry and metabolic chief, confirmed that 
the organization has an interagency agreement with DoD. She did not 
know how soon a test could be developed.

Researchers began the study in June to determine screening 
procedures, testing parameters and "the more appropriate windows of 
detection ... and what those detection windows should be," Huestis 
said. The work may include alternate ways to screen for the synthetic 
chemicals, such as testing orally.

Earlier this year, the Air Force began testing for spice as part of 
its regular screening for illicit drugs. But even as the Navy and 
Marine Corps have pushed strong anti-spice public service messages, 
Navy Drug Screening Laboratories, which routinely handle Navy and 
Marine Corps testing for illicit substances, don't test for synthetic 
cannabinoids, according to the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. 
Only in cases in which there is an active criminal investigation 
involving a sailor or Marine suspected of violating the Navy 
Department's no-drug regulations would a urine test be done to screen 
for spice.

Right now, with no active testing program in place, general drug 
tests or sweeps of sailors do not detect spice and other designer 
substances, said Capt. Cappy Surette, a BUMED spokesman.

"Navy and Marine Corps commanders can have urine samples tested for 
several of the compounds found in spicelike products at [AFMES] when 
the sample has been collected in conjunction with an ongoing 
investigation" by agencies, including Naval Criminal Investigative 
Service and Criminal Investigative Division, Surette said.

A positive urinalysis isn't required to kick out sailors found to use 
spice; they usually are punished or separated from the service for 
being caught with or confessing to using spice.

Navy officials this year upped the volume on the service's anti-spice 
campaign with new messages, videos and posters touting the dangerous 
health effects of using cannabinoids. "Use of these products is not 
good for the health or careers of our people and effects unit 
readiness," Surette said.

"We have been aggressively communicating the negative health effects 
of spice, because it isn't well-known," he said. "There are 
misconceptions that the products are freely available and nothing is 
going to happen to you."

In March, the Drug Enforcement Agency issued a ban on several 
chemicals used in making the synthetic pot, making use or possession 
of spice illegal under federal law. But in recent months, scores of 
sailors, including several dozen assigned to two aircraft carriers in 
San Diego, have been caught using or selling spice and subsequently 
were being processed out.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D