Solutions A
BY CLINICAL REFERENCE LABORATORY (CRL) AND CURRENT CONSULTING GROUP (CCG)
s the legalization of marijuana spreads across the country and the opioid crisis rages on, employers
are faced with complex challenges never before seen. Although marijuana and opioids dominate the news, there are other, very real issues adding to the complexity of workplace safety. Synthetics such as fentanyl and K2/spice are increasingly impactful on the workforce, and when compounded with rising marijuana and opioid use, the costs to employers can be astonishing. Both the industries that are traditionally considered safety-sensitive— petrochemical, construction, labor—and industries outside of the traditional safety-sensitive workplace are dealing with the increases in workplace injuries and accidents from drug use. Are today’s employers prepared to handle the issues that drug use and abuse are causing?
Marijuana, Opioids, and Synthetics, Oh My!
Te marijuana legalization campaign has found its stride and shows no sign of
www.datia.org
none has dominated the headlines more than the opioid epidemic. Since 2012, opioid overdose fatalities across the country have increased by a minimum of 25% annually. From 2015 to 2016, overdoses from nonmedical use of drugs and/or alcohol while on the job increased from 165 to 217, a 32% increase.2
Not
only are overdoses on the rise, but opioid-related workplace accidents and/ or incidents are on the rise as well. Tis is particularly true in safety-sensitive
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slowing down. Te majority of states in the U.S. have legal access to marijuana in some form, and many of the remaining states are considering legislation proposing legalization. A recent survey found that nearly 67% of U.S. employers are concerned with safety in the workplace in conjunction with marijuana legalization.1 While the simple presence of a workplace drug testing program will ease some fears related to increased drug use and workplace safety, without an effective testing program, employers are at risk. Of the current substance-abuse issues,
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