Taking a step toward legalizing marijuana at the federal level, the House passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act on Friday. Introduced on July 23, 2019, the MORE Act would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and goes so far as to include erasing prior convictions. The news thrilled marijuana advocates, of Read more »
Marijuana Drug Test: Pros & Cons
After the November election, five states had joined the ranks and legalized marijuana. As marijuana becomes widely accepted socially, employers wonder if they should drop it from the test. Montana, South Dakota, Arizona, and New Jersey will have recreational marijuana laws going into effect next year. Additionally, Mississippi was one of the few remaining states Read more »
Are Bus Drivers Testing Positive for Pot?
School bus drivers are entrusted with our most precious cargo. It’s imperative that they’re in command of their senses. Sadly, though, there’s a chance that some smoked pot before they loaded up our kids and hit the road. A report released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA) Clearinghouse confirmed that between the months Read more »
Can You Drug Test a Fired Employee?
When an employer fires an employee because they’ve failed a company drug test, the employee may file for unemployment benefits. Hopefully, that’s only because they never bothered to read your drug-free workplace policy. It should clearly state that won’t be an option. If it doesn’t, revise it. Drug abuse falls under misconduct and is, therefore, Read more »
Employee Drug Testing vs Right to Privacy
The urine drug test is the go-to test for employee drug testing hands down. Over 90% of the specimens submitted by employers for testing are urine samples. Due to the nature of the test, it’s considered to be very invasive—some say that description includes invasion of privacy. At the heart of that issue—in states where Read more »
Fentanyl and Heroin Use Increasing by Double Digits
A Quest Diagnostics Health Trends study released this month in a publication by Population Health Management indicates the illicit use of fentanyl, heroin, and nonprescribed opiates is increasing by double digits. The unsettling discovery is likely related to the impact of COVID-19. This is despite the fact that employee drug testing declined rapidly during the Read more »
7 Drug Testing Tips HR Should Consider
According to an analysis of pre-employment drug testing completed by American Addiction Centers (AAC), less than 2% of employers listed a drug test as part of their hiring process. That figure seems a bit shocking, don’t you think? Granted, not all states require that employers make applicants aware that drug testing is a part of Read more »
Marijuana Won’t Ease the Opioid Crisis
The theory that marijuana can be used to treat opioid withdrawal symptoms is all over the internet. Once the news got out, some were certain that replacing opioids with marijuana could eventually bring an end to the opioid epidemic. There’s a hole in that theory from the start though. Many studies on the subject found Read more »