Marijuana is now legal in nine states and Washington, D.C., which has resulted in the slow decline of pre-employment drug tests. Excellence Health Inc., a Las Vegas-based health care company with about 6,000 employees, no longer drug tests people coming to work for…
Posts by Category: Pre-employment Drug Testing
Recreational Cannabis in the Workplace: A Guide for California Employers
Although cannabis usage is now legal in the State of California, employers may still prohibit its use in the workplace. Effective in January, California legalized the “recreational” use of cannabis for adults 21 years and older. Proposition 64, the Adult Use of…
Opioids, Marijuana and Substance Abuse Issues Present Both Familiar and Groundbreaking Challenges to Employers
With the advent of marijuana decriminalization and expanded use for medicinal purposes, the legal and human challenges regarding the opioid crisis also are expanding. One of the most challenging issues is knowing how and when to address an employee who appears to be…
The True Cost of Marijuana Legalization
CNN Money recently reported that $18 billion in tax revenue could be created if marijuana were legalized nationwide. But the benefits – both in terms of crime rates, health and revenue – are under scrutiny. Bills on the federal level have been introduced in both the…
Maine Employers Must Ignore Off-Work Marijuana Use, Cease Testing Applicants
This month, Maine has become the first jurisdiction in the nation to protect workers from adverse employment action based on their use of marijuana and marijuana products. The “Question 1 – An Act to Legalize Marijuana” (The Act) was approved in November by Maine…
New HHS Guidelines for Drug Testing Panels Effective 10/1/17
In January, the Department of Health and Human Services revised Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs that will become effective on the 1st of October. Those organizations that comply with Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)…
Implications of Marijuana Legalization and Opioid Use to the Workplace and the Workers’ Compensation System
At a recent Workers’ Compensation Education Conference, the senior vice president at PRIUM talked about the impact opioid and heroin use is having on the workers’ compensation system. Within this system, there is a growing acceptance that marijuana – a federally…
Get Out of Your Checkbook: What Legalized Marijuana is Going to Cost
According to a 2016 Gallup poll, more than 60 percent of Americans support the legalization of marijuana, the highest approval rating in its 47-year history. In 2010, two out of every five of the $249 billion spent on alcohol in the United States were paid by federal,…
Federal Law Does Not Preempt Connecticut Medical Marijuana Law Employment Discrimination Prohibition
Even if an employee tests positive on an employment-related drug test, the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut has ruled that federal law does not preempt the state’s medical marijuana statue’s prohibition on employers firing or refusing to hire…
As Opioids Hit the Workforce, Employers are Forced to Improvise
The opioid epidemic that is destroying individuals and families across the country also is threatening to shut down manufacturing plants and whole industries. Particularly affecting men ages 25 to 54, opioid use has become a key factor regarding why “prime age”…