Drug testing has always been a significant burden to implement and maintain; especially in settings where Department of Transportation guideline or other more stringent regulation must be adhered to. There has always been that debate of how much drug testing was appropriate in relation to the individuals identified as using either legal or illegal drugs or alcohol. Recent laws passed across the nation to legalize marijuana either for medical purposes or for recreational use has brought considerable angst in the safety profession as to what the appropriate substance abuse program should look like.
Industry surveys show more than 60 percent of substance abusers are employed. They also show 40 percent or more of employers do not do pre-employment drug testing and almost 70 percent don’t test current employees -- many citing no regulatory requirement to do so. Obviously, those numbers would vary widely between industries. For example the petrochemical and transportation industries’ would be much more regimented than say, the restaurant and service industries.