Marijuana and the Workplace

The National Safety Council recommends a zero tolerance policy for employees in safety-sensitive jobs. Still, with the legalization for medical and, in some places, recreational use of cannabis in a growing number of states, employers are presented with a dilemma about how to deal with employee usage to minimize workplace accidents and injuries without violating the law According to Quest Diagnostics 2023 Drug Testing Index, post-accident marijuana positivity of urine drug tests in the general U.S. workforce was 7.3%, an increase of 9% compared to 6.7% in 2021. In 2022, the combined U.S. workforce urine drug positivity for all drugs persisted at 4.6% – the highest level in two decades. The 2021 and 2022 positivity rates were the highest since 2001, up more than 30% from an all-time low in 2010-2012. #IdeaoftheDay