According to a recent national
survey, approximately 83% of employers are concerned about marijuana in the workplace.1 As marijuana continues to gain popularity, however, some employers are questioning whether they should continue screening employees for the drug. A Tird Party Administrator’s (TPA’s) role is to ensure that employers implement comprehensive drug and alcohol testing programs to help maintain a safe workplace. As marijuana’s popularity continues to rise, employers should become more vigilant, rather than lax, in their marijuana testing requirements. Consider some key facts about
today’s marijuana. Marijuana in 2018 is much more potent than in years past. Over the last several decades, the adaptation of solvent-based extraction has increased in popularity.2
Te
level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana is rising, with some strains of the drug containing up to 80% THC. To put this in perspective, the limited amount of medical research that has been conducted on medical marijuana involved strains containing only 10% THC.3
More people in the U.S.
are using marijuana, and more employees are testing positive for marijuana in workplace drug tests, than ever before.4
Marijuana in the Workplace: Statistic Of the more than 22 million illicit drug users aged 18 and older in 2014, more than 70% were employed either full or part time.5
due to losses in workplace productivity (72%).6
With marijuana as a known In the same year, 8.4% of the
population was using marijuana, compared to just 2.5% of the population that was abusing prescription drugs at the time. According to one major laboratory, positive tests for marijuana in the workplace increased 6.2% nationally from 2012-2013. In Colorado and Washington, workplace marijuana positives increased 20% and 23%, respectively, post-legalization. Today, nine states and the District
As
a TPA, your clients need to be advised about changes in today’s marijuana and the need for continued testing.
of Columbia have legalized the use of recreational marijuana, and a total of 31 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana. At the time this article is being writen, there are currently 90 pieces of legislation pertaining to recreational and/or medicinal marijuana in state legislatures. Te number of states legalizing medical and recreational use of marijuana continues to rise. According to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Protection (CDC), marijuana is the number two substance of abuse in the U.S., second only to alcohol. In 2010, the costs of alcohol use in the U.S. reached $249 billion—primarily
addictive substance, it is imperative that employers continue testing for the drug, no mater current public opinion, in order to ensure not only safety in the workplace, but also to limit the economic impact of reduced productivity.
Why Drug Test? Drug testing provides more pertinent and actionable information than any other tracking method. Te continued presence of marijuana on a testing panel provides accessibility to information that impacts the safety of the workplace as a whole. Ongoing testing for marijuana is a single data point of assessment that provides employers with information such as: • Does the employee use marijuana? • Was the employee able to forego marijuana use long enough to obtain a job?
• Is the employee more prone to risky decisions in the workplace?
• Did the employee do enough research ahead of time to know that your company tests for marijuana?
• Does the employee have a habit that s/he can’t break, no mater the consequences? Continued testing for marijuana
provides important information about employees and potential employees that
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