Drugs

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San Francisco — Despite a decrease in opioid use among people who have health insurance through their employer, large employers have experienced a sharp increase in costs for treating opioid addiction and overdoses among their workers, according to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Employers “can and will be at the forefront of implementing pivotal solutions to prevent and treat opioid addictions,” one researcher testified during a joint hearing convened by two House subcommittees.

Chicago — Opioid-related overdoses claimed the lives of nearly 1,000 Midwest construction workers in 2015 – part of an opioid crisis that cost the region’s industry more than $5 billion in health care expenses and lost time and production, according to a recent report from the Midwest Economic Policy Institute.

Washington – The Department of Transportation will include four semi-synthetic opioids in its drug-testing program for DOT employees, according to a final rule published in the Nov. 13 Federal Register.

Washington – A Federal Interagency Working Group coordinated by the White House National Security Council has developed safety recommendations for first responders exposed to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid considered up to 50 times more potent than heroin.

Washington – Mandatory guidelines for drug testing of federal employees have been updated to include testing for four semi-synthetic opioids, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently announced.

Statistics show 75 percent of the 18- to 64-year-olds who have substance misuse disorders are in the workforce. As the struggles of addiction to opioid painkillers continue to affect worker safety and health, employers are being urged to take action.

Orlando, FL – In 2016, American workers tested positive for illicit drugs at the highest rate in 12 years, according to an annual study conducted by lab services provider Quest Diagnostics.

Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands – A new policy paper from the Emergency Nurses Association and the International Nurses Society on Addictions emphasizes “alternative-to-discipline” methods for nurses and nursing students who may be struggling with drug and alcohol addiction.

Fort Collins, CO – Almost one-quarter of workers in Colorado’s cannabis industry have never received workplace safety and health training, and the remaining three-quarters have reported discrepancies in the quantity and quality of their training, according to a recent study from Colorado State University and the Center for Health, Work and Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health.