New study indicates false positives possible for hair drug tests

new study from Scientific Reports may have an effect on what kind of drug tests employers choose to use when screening potential employees for marijuana. The study, entitled “Finding cannabinoids in hair does not prove cannabis consumption,” shows that three cannabinoids — tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC (THC-COOH) and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (THCA-A) — can be found…

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Why employers should drug test job applicants

can cost a business a lot of money. As already mentioned, accidents in the workplace may result in the company being sued by employees, and worker’s compensation will need to be paid out for any injured employee. A loss in employee productivity due to injury or distraction on the job can cause losses in company…

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FAA fines Allegiant Air for staff drug testing missteps

Allegiant Air, a budget airline that competes with Southwest Airlines and Jet Blue, is expected to pay the Federal Aviation Administration fines of more than $260,000 for failing to include all of its employees in a random drug and alcohol testing pool, per FAA requirements. According to the FAA, 25 of Allegiant Air’s employees were…

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Could an iPhone app be the newest tool for a pre-employment drug testing service?

When employers conduct pre-employment drug tests or enforce random drug testing, they typically have to hire a drug testing service or work with a local clinic to get results. However, new technologies from healthcare company Scanadu may eventually make pre-employment drug testing as simple as checking your phone. Scanadu has introduced a device that may…

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Drug-testing device receives government approval in UK, could prevent driving deaths

Northern Ireland’s government has just approved a new drug-testing technology that the country’s Roads Safety Minister hopes will prevent residents from driving under the influence of drugs. The portable device, called Drugwipe, can detect cocaine or marijuana in the body. It utilizes small amounts of saliva, and produces results in eight minutes or fewer. Drugwipe…

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Drugs in the workplace: Are confessing to using drugs and testing positive for drugs two different things?

confess to doing drugs before they even complete testing. Minnesota employers are allowed to respond differently to an admission of drug usage than to a positive drug test. DATWA makes no exceptions for confessions on company property; the employer may immediately terminate an employee that admits to using illegal substances, if that is consistent with…

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Georgia council incentivizes drug testing in the workplace

Recently, the Georgia Council on Alcohol and Drugs hosted an event called “Drugs Don’t Work” in an attempt to discourage illegal drug usage in the workplace, particularly because 70 percent of the state’s illegal drug users can be found among its employed. The most commonly abused drugs? Prescription medications. The Council is now providing incentives…

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