Posted by: Creede Bighorns
In reply to: Creede Bighorns who wrote msg# 47 Date: 3/25/2006 12:20:59 AM
Post #
So it was, that on December 21, 1989, a new industry was born as a result of the Federal Drug Testing Standard....the drug testing industry. It's also at that moment in time, that a huge proverbial piece slid into Dexter Morris' puzzle called DISA Inc (Drug Intervention Services of America).
(I tell you what.....let's step back just a little bit further.)
This story really begins in the early eighties. Dexter Morris looking for his purpose, moves with wife and kids to Houston, Texas. Soon after arriving in Houston, young Dexter was on the quest to find his niche. Recognizing the escalating alcohol and drug problem in Houston, Dexter was granted a glimpse of the future. In his vision, he could see that American's substance abuse problem was going to create a lot of opportunity for service. Dexter grabbed a Yellow Pages and seemingly at random, found one of the few labs in existence at the time, and called them, and began to ask questions....lots of questions. He met with the owner of the lab, and Dexter formed a bond with this man immediately (they are still friends, 23 years later). Dexter intuitively knew that this was his path, so he thrust himself into the environment. He became an apprentice, so to speak, and began to soak up the business like a sponge.
Years passed, and after the foundation was hardened, Dexter's entrepreneurial spirit broke out, in the form of DISA Inc in Houston, TX in the year of 1987 ( drugtest.com ). At first, DISA was formed to work in conjunction with rehabilitation centers to bring those into the fold that failed drug tests (how they made money doing this I have no idea...perhaps a finders fee...perhaps some other time I will think to ask. lol). Needless to say, with no Federal or Corporate Mandate, drug testing was almost unheard of, and so DISA didn't have many prospects for the rehab centers. lol
And then it happened....the sex, drugs, and rock&roll climate of 70's was about to reach point break. Here's some key reasons:
1. MADD was founded in 1980 in response to one woman's loss of her daughter to a drunk driver in California. MADD soon grew into a nationwide organization with almost two million members and supporters and with more than 600 affiliates in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain. Since MADD was founded, traffic deaths have dropped by more than 40%, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
2. The crack epidemic dramatically increased the numbers of Americans addicted to cocaine. In 1985, the number of people who admitted using cocaine on a routine basis increased from 4.2 million to 5.8 million, according to the Department of Health and Human Service's National Household Survey. Likewise, cocaine-related hospital emergencies continued to increase nationwide during 1985 and 1986. According to DAWN statistics, in 1985, cocaine-related hospital emergencies rose by 12 percent, from 23,500 to 26,300; and in 1986, they increased 110 percent, from 26,300 to 55,200. Between 1984 and 1987, cocaine incidents increased fourfold.
Source: DEA Museum, "DEA History: 1985-1990: The Crack Epidemic"
3. On March 24, 1989, shortly after midnight, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling more than 11 million gallons of crude oil. The spill was the largest in U.S. history and tested the abilities of local, national, and industrial organizations to prepare for, and respond to, a disaster of such magnitude. Many factors complicated the cleanup efforts following the spill. The size of the spill and its remote location, accessible only by helicopter and boat, made government and industry efforts difficult and tested existing plans for dealing with such an event.
Man, after that, even the tree huggers were angry....and they were all out for blood. When it came to alcohol and drugs, tolerance was over. It was costing us revenue, lives, and now the environment...I'm sure the pressure on the Reagans was enormous...they responded as soon as they could...they gave us the Federal Drug Test Standard (The FDTS is the gold standard for drug testing. It's a six step process that must be met to insure that a sample is accurately processed. Dexter named off the six steps, and also told me the story of his involvement with their inception. I lack the details to do this part justice, but perhaps when I write his full biography, it will be included. lol)
On December 21, 1989, Dexter had another moment of clarity. The Reagans had just given DISA Inc. a purpose. Dexter could see that the Federal Mandate would affect all business, not just the ones required to act. He could see that most of corporate America would have to follow suit, or face the wrath of the tree huggers. Further more, he could see that the collective leaders of the large corporations would see that those companies who passed Corporate Mandates on random drug testing would have a better bottom line. (So, if you are working for a corporation that has nothing to do with transportation or the environment, and you still have random drug tests, then actually it's a corporate mandate, and not Federal. So I guess hate the company, and not Uncle Sam in that case. lol)
Seizing this new vision, Dexter steered DISA Inc. on a new course into open waters....into a business opportunity that have never been done before.
To be continued...
GB-ND-38
creede |
