drug testing
New York City bans marijuana drug testing
According to a new local bill, Introduction No.1445-A, New York City employers will ban marijuana drug testing. Specifically, the bill “prohibits New York City employers from requiring a prospective employee to submit to testing for the presence of any tetrahydrocannabinols (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, in such prospective employee’s system as a condition of…
Read MoreDrug testing positivity rates at highest level in fifteen years
According to the recently released Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index, drug positivity rates for 2018 climbed to the highest level in fifteen years. Positivity rates in the combined U.S. workforce increased nearly five percent in urine drug tests (4.2% in 2017 versus 4.4% in 2018), climbing to the highest level since 2004 (4.5%) and are…
Read MoreEmployee hair drug testing: how does it work?
While urine drug tests have been the go-to for employers for many years, more and more employers are shifting towards hair drug testing. And it’s clear why. Hair drug testing provides up to a 90-day view of drug use history, compared to a urine drug test which may only be a few days. Additionally, some…
Read MorePositivity rate for workplace drug testing at highest rate in a decade
According to analysis of more than 10 million drug test results in the 2018 Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index, drug use by the U.S. workforce is at its highest level in more than a decade. The positivity rate for drug tests was 4.2 percent in 2017, the same as in 2016, and the highest since 2004.…
Read MoreCalifornia bill to provide workplace discrimination protection for medical cannabis users
With California’s legalization of recreational cannabis this year, state lawmakers continue to push legislation that normalizes cannabis use. State Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, wants to see that normalization extended to the workplace through protections for employees who use cannabis for medical purposes. Eleven states have employment laws protecting medical cannabis patients against employment discrimination. California is…
Read MoreNew Jersey governor looking to legalize marijuana
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy released his budget this week, taking the first formal step toward making marijuana legal in the state. Murphy’s budget proposal to lawmakers sets a Jan. 1, 2019, target for no-questions-asked marijuana sales to adults, and incorporates $80 million in proceeds from taxes on the drug into the state’s expected revenue.…
Read MoreMaine employers can no longer test for marijuana
Maine is now the country’s first state to institutionally protect employees from unfair hiring and firing practices due to cannabis use. Employers will no longer be able to test applicants for cannabis prior to hiring, or fire an employee for using cannabis outside of the workplace. Lexology notes that the Maine Department of Labor has removed cannabis…
Read MoreGeorgia Congressman introduces welfare drug testing legislation
Last month, Georgia Congressman Earl Carter introduced legislation that would allow states to conduct drug tests for Unemployment Insurance applicants. The Ensuring Quality in the Unemployment Insurance Program (EQUIP) Act was introduced by Carter on July 20, and would allow states to require anyone receiving Unemployment benefits insurance to take a substance abuse risk assessment. “The Unemployment…
Read MoreWorkforce drug positivity at highest rate since 2004
The report states that urine tests among the U.S. workforce had a positive result rate of 4.2%, the highest since 2004, when 4.5% of urine tests tested positive for drugs. Colorado and Washington, which were the first two states to legalize marijuana, have outpaced the rest of the country’s average in the growing trend of…
Read MoreHouse Republicans vote to expand welfare drug testing
House Joint Resolution 42 would repeal a Labor Department rule that limits drug testing to two circumstances. Currently, benefits applicants can be tested if they were terminated from their previous job due to illegal use of a controlled substance or if the only available suitable work for an individual is in an occupation that requires…
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