The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released annual survey results revealing that there are mental health and substance use epidemics currently occurring in the U.S. DHHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s annual survey results show that: about one in four adults in the U.S. had a mental illness in 2021, […]
An amendment to Missouri law decriminalizing the purchase, possession and use of recreational marijuana went into effect Dec. 8. This amendment could cause some headaches for employers. Missouri voters passed Constitutional Amendment 3 on Election Day 2022, which decriminalized marijuana for recreational and personal purposes, according to law firm Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice. The […]
On Jan. 6, 2023, employers operating under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations can conduct part of the employee safety performance history investigation in the FMCSA Clearinghouse. The safety performance history investigation, which provides information on a driver’s past drug and alcohol violations, is required for all driver-applicants and each CDL driver employed by […]
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order Nov. 15 protecting residents in the state from prosecution for medical marijuana use. The executive order is meant to protect residents who legally purchase medical marijuana in another state to treat chronic pain from various medical conditions or post-traumatic stress disorder. State won’t legalize despite residents’ desires […]
With President Biden’s Oct. 6 statements about marijuana and his request to review whether the drug should be removed from the Schedule I list of controlled substances, is federal legalization far off? If federal legalization of marijuana is in the cards for the near future, then what does it mean for employers? After all, many […]
New Jersey and California are currently in the spotlight for their respective methods of protecting employees who use recreational marijuana. Employers in New Jersey are getting some interim guidance on protections from the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission while California employers will have to deal with a new law that will protect recreational cannabis users. Guidance […]
The California State Compensation Fund (State Fund), the state’s main provider of workers’ compensation insurance, reports that it has seen a significant decrease in opioid use by injured workers since 2014. State Fund said its efforts have reduced the number of opioid prescriptions for injured workers it provides care for by 82% between 2014 and […]
An injured worker who was fired after a positive marijuana drug test can’t move forward with a wrongful termination suit since the drug is still illegal under federal law, according to the Nevada Supreme Court. Although marijuana use is legal in the state, the court found it is still illegal under federal law so there’s […]
A new report from the National Safety Council reveals that a majority of employers are interested in using impairment detection technology (IDT) to screen for multiple forms of impairment in the workplace. IDT is technology with the potential to screen for multiple forms of impairment – including from chemical substances, stress, fatigue and mental distress […]
