Employee drug testing is not an issue that has been addressed at the national level. In fact, every state has a different most common substance and has different drug use and drug testing legislation in place. More than 500 bills related to drug testing laws were introduced in the past year, demonstrating just how much the drug use landscape is changing in the United States.
What began with the legalization of marijuana in a few states is now expanding across the country both recreationally and legally. This has led to a 45.2% increase in positive marijuana tests in the past 5 years. These findings indicate potential serious implications for industries that rely on manual labor, heavy machinery, and safety-sensitive work. In order to keep these employees and those around them safe, many leaders have implemented drug testing policies alongside ways to mitigate cheating or tampering with tests.
There are already states that have put anti-cheating policies into place, some of which are also states that currently hold the most positive drug tests. This shift in the norm is a movement towards a safer work environment for the most vulnerable. These changes will continue to be important as legislation continues to push for less regulation of drug use across the United States.
Source: USDrugTestCenters.com
