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Ohio Drug Testing

Last updated : December 16, 2024

We offer thousands of Ohio drug testing locations to conduct pre-employment, random, DOT, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, return to duty, and probation drug testing for employers, either at one of our USAMDT drug testing facilities, at your business location, or even in the field, 24/7/365!

Need to schedule drug testing and don’t see your city listed? Just call us at 800-851-2021 and we can either send you to our nearest location, or we can send a mobile collection specialist to your location, anywhere in the state of Ohio.

Call us at 800-851-2021 to schedule an Ohio drug test now!

 

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Ohio drug testing locations

Don’t worry if your city isn’t listed. Just call 800-851-2021. We’ll be happy to assist you in finding a location nearby. However—and we’re sure to mention it during the conversation—you might decide to have us come to you instead.

That’s right. You’ll never have to search for “drug testing near me” again! We’ll send a mobile collection specialist to your location, anywhere throughout the state— 24/7/365.

Employees on the job site? We’ll find them.

Night shift coming due for the annual fitness-for-duty drug test? Why not have us show up during their shift rather than interrupting their sleep schedule to report for testing during normal business hours? The phrase “drug testing near me” takes on an entirely new meaning when the test rolls right up to your location, doesn’t it?

We offer employee education classes, management training, and DOT services. We can also create your company’s drug-free program. We’ll even customize your policies to specifically meet the needs of your business.

Ohio drug testing laws

For purposes of the Drug-Free Workplace Services Program, drug or alcohol “abuse” means:

  • any use of an illegal drug;
  • intentional misuse of any over-the-counter drug in cases where such misuse impairs job performance;
  • use of any prescription drug in a manner inconsistent with its medically prescribed intended use;
  • use of alcohol where such use impairs job performance; or
  • intentional and inappropriate use of any substance, legal or illegal, which impairs job performance.

The Ohio Fair Employment Practice Law prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, ancestry, and sex (OH Rev. Code Sec. 4112.01). Although drug addiction and alcoholism can sometimes be classified as a disability, the law states that an employer is entitled to:

  • prohibit the illegal use of drugs and the use of alcohol in the workplace by employees;
  • require that employees not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while at work;
  • hold an employee who engages in the illegal use of drugs or the use of alcohol to the same qualification standards for employment or job performance to which the employer holds other employees, even if any unsatisfactory performance or behavior is related to the employee’s alcoholism or illegal use of a controlled substance;
  • implement a drug-testing program.

The law does not encourage, prohibit, or authorize testing for the illegal use of any controlled substance by employees or applicants, or making employment decisions based on the results of that type of testing. The law specifically exempts current drug users from its protection. However, it does protect individuals as disabled who:

  • have successfully completed a supervised drug rehabilitation program and are no longer illegally using any controlled substance;
  • have participated in a supervised drug rehabilitation program and are no longer engaged in the illegal use of any
    controlled substance.
  • are erroneously regarded as engaging in the illegal use of any controlled substance.

Applicant testing is authorized with advance notice to applicant and after an offer of employment has been made. An applicant who tests and is confirmed positive will not be hired. He or she will be given the chance to explain the positive drug results. Applicants for government jobs will not be hired for at least a year if they test positive.

  • Employee Testing: Employee testing is authorized on reasonable suspicion of substance abuse, for new hires, after an accident, and as follow-up to a treatment program.
  • Conditions & Methods: Employers must keep documentation that shows the chain of custody of positive tests. Laboratory personnel must check each specimen package for evidence of tampering. Additionally, employers must have a written policy stating they are maintaining a drug-free workplace.
  • Important Bullet Points: In compliance with the provisions outlined in the Drug-Free Workplace Program, employers must pay for drug and alcohol testing. The only exception is for employee-requested retests, which is at the employee’s expense unless the results come out negative. In the event a retest is negative, the employer must pay for the cost.

The key components of the Drug-Free Workplace Program include a written compliant policy statement, employee education, supervisor training, a five-panel drug and alcohol test consistent with federal standards, and an employee assistance plan.

Should an accident or injury occur at work and it is suspected that the employee was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, post-accident drug testing must be administered within eight hours of the incident if searching for signs of alcohol. For controlled substances, the qualifying test must be conducted within thirty-two hours of the incident. If an employer provides written notice to an employee that drug testing will be happening in the near future and the employee tests positive or refuses to take a drug test, it can affect that employee’s eligibility to receive workers’ compensation. 

State contractors working on public improvement projects, as well as their subcontractors, are required to enroll and be in good standing with the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s Drug-Free Workplace Program or similar programs approved by the Bureau. Noncompliance results in a breach of contract, which may cause the contractors and subcontractors in violation to be negatively evaluated in future contracts for up to a period of five years.

If an employer randomly tests a minimum of 15 percent of their employees annually, they may be eligible to receive federal discounts. These employers should also then be committed to not terminating an employee with a first-time positive test result, who voluntarily admits his or her substance abuse trouble, or has received a referral for an assessment by a supervisor.

Alcohol testing methods

  • All procedures and protocols for the collection and testing of an employee’s breath for alcohol shall conform to the methods and procedures set forth in federal regulations, governing collective bargaining agreements, or, in the absence of such regulations or agreements, by the director of the department of administrative services.
  • Test results shall be reported to the agency head within twenty-four hours of receipt of the result by the drug-free workplace services program.
  • The agency head shall provide to the Department of Administrative Services’ drug-free workplace program a monthly statistical summary of all alcohol breath testing information, including the number of employees tested and the results of that testing. This information shall be forwarded no later than fourteen calendar days after the end of the month covered by the summary.

Drug testing methods

  • The initial drug testing protocol for state employees and applicants for state employment shall use a technique that meets federal Department of Health and Human Services requirements. Drug classes shall be those established by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
  • Initial test methodology and test levels for other drugs shall be added to the testing protocol as deemed necessary by the director of the Department of Administrative Services or as required by federal law.

Marijuana laws

Ohio legalized medical marijuana use—smoking, however, is prohibited—back in 2016. House Bill 523 authorizes the use of marijuana for medical reasons. It also established the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program.

The bill does not restrict employee drug testing regarding marijuana in any way.

Recreational marijuana became legal on December 7, 2023. Citizens aged 21 and over may use and grown their own plants. However, news broke almost immediately that republicans plan to propose changes to the law. They plan to remove the ability for Ohioans to grow their own weed. Time will tell how all that plays out.

Testing methods

Blood testing is rarely used for employee drug testing due to its expense and highly invasive nature. Blood tests detect the parent drug rather than drug metabolites. Therefore, the detection window is mere hours for nearly all drugs. However, methamphetamines remain in the blood for one to three days. The test must be administered in a medical setting by trained medical personnel. It’s often reserved for post-accident testing.

There are three primary test methods used for employee drug testing. They are urine, mouth swab, or hair follicle drug tests.

Urine drug test

The urine drug test tops the charts as the most used employee drug testing method. As a matter of fact, it was the only drug testing method available for many years. However, over the years, drug users became more capable of finding successful ways to adulterate this test. Scientists invented both the mouth swab test and the hair follicle test in an attempt to combat that problem.

Today, urine tests have become extremely effective at detecting drugs and adulterants or other attempts to falsify these tests. Drug users still try, however, and discover the hard way that shouldn’t have been their chosen course of action.

The identification period is drug-specific and varies from mere hours up to three weeks or so. Marijuana is the exception to the rule as chronic users can test positive for THC for over thirty days.

These tests are cost-effective and produce accurate results. If the immunoassay (IA) test shows a positive result, the sample is sent on for confirmation testing using the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MC) test. This test also specifies the drug(s) and drug level(s).

Results return in less than a week.

Mouth swab test

At this time, mouth swab tests are restricted in the state of Ohio.

This method also goes by the names of saliva or oral fluids tests. It’s in the midrange in regard to the cost being more expensive than the urine test but less expensive than a hair test.

The mouth swab test detects recent and even current impairment for some drugs. The window of detection is the shortest of the three primary methods, however, only lasting up to seventy-two hours depending on the drug. For instance, marijuana is only detected on this test for about twenty-four hours no matter how often the drug is ingested.

Mouth swab testing technology is becoming more and more sophisticated and the results are extremely accurate. Consequently, it’s virtually impossible to switch the specimen as the test subject never leaves the testing technician’s sight. Moreover, attempts to falsify the test using mouthwashes or other adulterants claiming to mask or “detoxify” the drug metabolites in the body are false. The body is constantly producing saliva and it will be collected by the mouth swab.

At the lab, the mouth swab samples undergo an IA test and those yielding positive results go on for the GC/MS test for confirmation. The second test also determines the drug type and level found in the system.

Employers receive the results in a couple of days.

Hair follicle testing

Currently, the use of the hair follicle drug test is restricted in Ohio.

The hair follicle test is unique in that it identifies any and all drug use for a 90-day period. It’s more expensive than either the urine or saliva drug tests. However, the extended detection period outweighs the cost in the eyes of many. In fact, some employers in the trucking industry require their employees to submit to both the DOT drug test and the hair follicle test. They choose to incur the added expense of additional drug testing to have access to the extended detection period.

In addition, the hair follicle test is impossible to falsify. Drug metabolites store themselves throughout the body until excreted. Those that stow away in the hair follicle, actually grow out into the hair shaft becoming a part of the hair. Moreover, there’s no way to rid the hair of them or to cover them with a substance that will hide them from the test.

We determine the 90-day detection period by hair length. Human hair grows at the rate of about 1/2 inch per month. The standard test length for the hair follicle test is one and one-half inches. Thus, one and one-half inches equals ninety days. However, laboratories honor requests to extend the detection window even further by increasing the length of hair tested.

It won’t be much longer before the DOT drug test changes from the urine test to the hair follicle test. The request is currently making its way through the chain of command and isn’t expected to meet with resistance at any point along the way.

Comparatively, it takes about a week to receive results.

Drugs detected

The standard 5 panel employee drug test is widely used by employers of the general workforce. As its name implies, it accurately detects five commonly abused drugs in the workplace. The drugs identified on the test typically include amphetamines, cocaine, opiates, marijuana, and PCP.

However, some employers choose to use a more extensive test and look to the 9, 10, or 12 panel drug tests. USA Mobile Drug Testing offers these test panels, however, we don’t limit employers to the drug panels we place on them. Employers are free to swap a drug on the test panel for another, add additional drugs to the test panel they’ve chosen, or even create their own unique drug screen panel.

Moreover, we have the capability to test for all manner of drugs, including “specialty” drugs such as bath salts, K2, steroids, or synthetic opioids.

Some specific drug identification periods

We’ve mentioned that the specific length of drug detection varies, with the exception of the hair follicle test. Some examples of detection periods follow:

  • Amphetamines and methamphetamines are detected on the urine test for two or three days, but habitual use may show up for four days. The saliva test identifies amphetamines for twenty-four to forty-eight hours.
  • Barbiturates remain detectable in urine for up to three weeks and in the saliva for up to three days.
  • Benzodiazepines show up in urine tests for up to ten days and in the saliva for about two and a half days.
  • Cocaine is traceable in urine tests for up to three days and in the saliva for up to two days.
  • It takes a couple of hours for ecstasy to show up in a urine test and it can be identified between one and three days thereafter. Saliva tests pick up on ecstasy in as little as 15 minutes after taking the drug. It remains traceable for one or two days.
  • Synthetic opioids, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, are identifiable in urine between two to four days. Saliva tests vary a bit more ranging from up to 12 to 48 hours depending on the frequency of use.
  • Methaqualone detection lasts up to three days when using a urine drug test. The saliva test detects this drug for at least one day, however, if used frequently it shows up for a longer period of time.

DOT information

The DOT (Department of Transportation) was created to regulate the safety-sensitive workforce through the following administrations.

  • Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
  • Federal Railroad Administration
  • Federal Aviation Administration
  • Federal Transit Administration
  • Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
  • United States Coast Guard

The goal of the DOT is to ensure the safety of the general public as they travel by land, air, or sea. One of the regulations includes safety-sensitive employee drug testing. Employers regulated by the DOT implement the following employee drug tests:

The DOT mandates the use of the urine drug test that includes a specific drug panel. However, it approved the oral fluid drug test for use as soon as there are two SAMHSA-certified laboratories to analyze oral fluid specimens. That’s expected to happen by early 2024 at the latest.

DOT drug test

The DOT drug test requires employers to test for five of the most commonly abused drugs in the workplace. They are amphetamines, opiates, cocaine, marijuana, and PCP (phencyclidine). However, in a direct attempt to combat the growing opiate addiction crisis plaguing our nation, they added four semi-synthetic opioids to the test panel in January 2018.

Hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone are highly addictive pain medications. Heavily prescribed by physicians for years, these drugs are highly addictive. Sadly, many who found themselves craving the drugs when they were no longer prescribed the medication turned to the black market. Or, perhaps, in an attempt to feed the addiction when their drug of choice became too costly, they turned to heroin use instead.

The DOT has long considered switching from the urine drug test to the hair follicle drug test. We previously stated that the official request is currently making its way through the chain of command. Many expect it to complete the process in the near future. In the meantime, the oral fluid test has been approved for use as soon as there are two SAMHSA-certified laboratories available to process the tests.

FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

The FMCSA Clearinghouse has been up and running for over three years now. It tracks safety-sensitive employees who have outstanding drug or alcohol violations. Employers no longer need to conduct manual inquiries with previous employers in addition to the Clearinghouse query. Only Clearinghouse queries are necessary.

Now, it’s virtually impossible for drivers with violations to obtain a job with a new employer by simply not listing the employer they worked for when receiving the violation. Furthermore, less-than-honest drivers with drug or alcohol violations can no longer pick up and move to another state to apply for a new CDL. The Clearinghouse links the driver to his old CDL, thereby, maintaining complete and accurate information.

Drivers from Canada and Mexico who transport goods in the U.S. must be listed in the database as well.

Once a driver successfully completes their return to duty process, they will be allowed to operate a commercial motor vehicle again. However, records of drug and alcohol violations will remain on file in the Clearinghouse for five years or longer if the driver hasn’t yet completed the return to duty process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose my job if I refuse the random drug test at work?

If your employer has over 50 employees and does random drug tests, you’re supposed to take the test if your name comes up. Consequently, if you refuse, your employer has the right to follow the drug testing protocol set in place.

I’m an owner-operator, so it’s just me. Do I have to register for the Clearinghouse and submit a query on myself?

Yes, you have to be accounted for in the database. Your C/TPA (consortium/third-party administrator) can conduct your queries on your behalf. If there should be a drug or alcohol violation, the C/TPA is responsible for reporting to the Clearinghouse.

So, do I have a right to see what the Clearinghouse says about me?

Yes. Drivers can access the database free of charge at any time. Head over to the website to get signed up.

Medical marijuana is legal. I’ve got Crohn’s disease and have medical authorization to use it. What happens if I pop positive on the test though?

Employers hold the right to make that decision. What does your company’s drug policy say about marijuana? If they don’t stipulate allowing for medical conditions, they have no choice but to follow company policy. In most cases, employees are terminated.

Does everybody drug test now?

No. Not all employers test for drug use. But the majority do because maintaining a drug-free workplace is a way to ensure a safe work environment.

How long are drugs detected in my system?

It depends on the testing method your employer uses. The hair follicle test yields results for 90 days, up to 30 for the urine test, and the mouth swab test up to 72 hours. Detection times vary depending on the drug for urine and mouth swabs. But the hair test shows all drug use for 90 days.

I heard there is a breathalyzer for marijuana now. Is that true?

Several companies are in the testing phases. A THC-detecting breathalyzer will be a benefit to law enforcement and employers in states that are legalizing marijuana. This will enable them to know whether or not a person is currently impaired

If I drink lots of water before my urine test, will it come back negative?

If your urine is exceptionally diluted, it will probably come back with an inconclusive result.

I have a shy bladder, and I know this drug test is not going to “go” well. What do I do?

Lots of people have this problem. Talk to your HR department. There may be another method in place for situations like yours. If not, they may work with you to reach a solution, i.e., making a change in that protocol! Good luck!

My doctor prescribed my pain medication. Can he write me something that will be accepted by my employer if I get pulled for a random?

Nope. Drug-free is drug-free. If you are taking medication and a drug test pops positive, your employer will follow the company procedures set in place.

 

 

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