Drugs

Toronto — Workers who reported using cannabis before or during a shift – including supervisors and people in safety-sensitive jobs – had jobs and work environments in which detection was less likely, according to the results of a recent study out of Canada.

Silver Spring, MD — Employers in the construction industry need to promote “effective, non-opioid pain-management methods” for injured workers, a nonprofit safety group is saying after two of its recent studies found construction workers with musculoskeletal disorders are three times more likely than their co-workers to use prescription opioids.

Washington — Although some state drug laws recently have been revised to legalize marijuana, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is reminding officials that the federal government’s Drug-Free Workplace Program has not changed.

Cambridge, MA — Workers who receive larger quantities of opioids shortly after an injury, as well as those who are prescribed higher doses, are at increased risk of longer-term opioid use, according to a recent study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute.

Seattle — The cannabis industry needs federal regulations and guidance on workplace safety, according to University of Washington professor and researcher Christopher Simpson.

Secaucus, NJ — U.S. workers in 2019 tested positive for illicit drugs at the highest rate in 16 years – an uptick that could continue this year as a symptom of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an annual analysis by lab services provider Quest Diagnostics.

Washington — The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is seeking public comment on long-awaited proposed guidelines on the use of hair samples as a method for drug testing federal employees and safety-sensitive employees in federally regulated industries, including commercial motor vehicle operators.

Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council is calling on both 2020 U.S. presidential campaigns to adopt, as part of their COVID-19 pandemic recovery strategies, the council’s comprehensive plan to combat the national opioid overdose epidemic.

Itasca, IL — Concerned about the “current and potential” impacts of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2019 on workplace health and safety, the National Safety Council, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and 20 other organizations are calling on the House to conduct hearings on the matter.