Drug testing in Canadian jails: To what end?

Since 1995, Corrections Services Canada (CSC) has conducted randomized urin alysis screening of a minimum of 5% of the federal inmate population on a m onthly basis. Urine les are screened for a broad range of psychoactive subs tances. The stated purpose of such screening is to reduce substance use in federal jails. Analysis of data provided by CSC for resting between 1994 an d 1998 reveals small but statistically significant increases in the percent age of all urine samples that tested positive over that time. Analysis of t he results of screening for opiates, cocaine and THC from data provided by CSC for the same time period, shows steady rates of opiate and cocaine dete ction at maximum and medium levels of security, decreases in opiate and coc aine detection in security, and statistically significant increases in THC detection at all levels of security. The implications of these findings are discussed.