When Gallup began tracking the average American’s opinion on legalized marijuana almost 50 years ago most people would never have guessed that by 2016 it would have reached a support level of 60%! For the first time in US history, individual states have begun to receive [...]
If it’s a truck driver, it’s your responsibility to find out Many employers make an offer of employment contingent upon the results of a criminal background check and drug test. If the candidates pass, they’re hired. Employers regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, however, have another important requirement. First, you must ask the [...]
Is 10 percent acceptable? Five percent? Shouldn’t it be zero? The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) conducts a survey every year. 10.2% of all Americans are substance abusers. One in ten. In companies that drug test, the positive rate is between 4 and 5% in the aggregate. Remember, that’s in companies [...]
“I’d like to send an employee in for a random drug test.” I get calls like this frequently. It usually means they suspect an employee is using some kind of prohibited substance and they want to conduct a test. On the surface it seems like a reasonable request. But it’s not a truly random [...]
If you have employees that operate Commercial Motor Vehicles* as defined by the U.S. Department of Transportation, you may be audited by the DOT. Significant violations can result in fines totaling tens of thousands of dollars. What are they looking for? DOT auditors closely examine whether businesses comply with federal regulations for drug and [...]
Q. Do I have to allow medical or recreational use of marijuana since it is legal in my state? A. The short answer is no. So far. Up to this point, every time an employee has challenged a company’s drug policy, the company has prevailed. The operational word, though, is “policy.” If your company [...]
Workplace drug testing has become more important in 2016 than ever before. It is no secret that the number of people in the United States who use marijuana is growing rapidly. Hollywood seems to cash in on the sensationalism as producers such as Chuck Lorre are working on new comedy series, portraying the use [...]
"Drug overdoses, predominately from opioids, now exceed car crashes as the leading cause of unintentional death." --National Safety Council In its publication “The proactive role employers can take: OPIOIDS IN THE WORKPLACE,” The National Safety Council describes, “a disturbing trend The Growing Concern of Opioids in the Workplace [which] has [...]
Many years ago, I remember driving through the state of Pennsylvania. As you entered the state, there was a menu which described the fines for speeding. It was memorable because you could decide what level of fine you were willing to risk by going 5, 10, or 50 mph over the speed limit. It [...]
The substance abuse landscape is changing rapidly, and companies are advised to keep up, or there may be a price to pay. 1) What’s in your panel? A drug test detects only what you test for. If you want to detect Oxycontin, you have to test for it. Many companies have employees that fall [...]
