Spring 2013

Medical Marijuana and The Drug-Free Workplace In New Jersey

Nearly three years after it was passed, and following numerous false starts, the "New Jersey Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Act" finally became a reality with the opening of New Jersey's first medical marijuana dispensary -- the Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair -- on December 6, 2012. It is now timely to ask the question: What impact will New Jersey's Medicinal Marijuana Program (MMP) have on employer efforts to create and maintain drug-free workplaces?

Winter 2013

How Prescription Drug Abuse Became a Workplace Problem… and what Employers Can Do About It

According to the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, the abuse of prescription drugs has soared in recent years, coming in second only to marijuana use as the nation’s most commonly abused illegal drug.

Fall 2012

Synthetic Marijuana(K2/Spice) & DEA NEWS: Nationwide Synthetic Drug Takedown

K2 or “spice” are terms used to describe a variety of products made of dried, shredded plant material laced with synthetic compounds.

WASHINGTON – More than 90 individuals were arrested and more than five million packets of finished designer synthetic drugs were seized in the first-ever nationwide law enforcement action against the synthetic designer drug industry responsible for the production and sale of synthetic drugs that are often marketed as bath salts, Spice, incense, or plant food.

Summer 2012

Drug and Alcohol Testing for Holders of Commercial Driver’s Licenses

To achieve the goal of a drug- and alcohol-free transportation environment, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) has adopted regulations (the “DOT Regulations”) requiring certain commercial motor vehicle operators to be tested for alcohol and drugs.

Spring 2012

What’s In a Policy – Does Your Drug-Free Workplace Policy Work?

Last year, Drugs Don’t Work New Jersey undertook a survey of in-state employers, to gauge their drug-free workplace policies and practices.

Winter 2012

Company Health Concerns, Workplace Policy, & Employee Drug and Alcohol Testing,

As a follow up to a study PDFNJ commissioned in 2008, Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind recently completed a telephone survey of 301 randomly selected employers in NJ, including an oversampling of businesses with over 100 employees.

Fall 2011

New Jersey Trends in Substance Abuse

No matter how hard we work at substance abuse prevention, education, and treatment, the nature of addiction seems to ensure that it will be a long time before the United States can conclude that it has eliminated the scourge, much as it once eliminated polio.

Summer 2011

Case study: When does “current” drug use become “former” drug use?

One of the more difficult issues for employers dealing with drug use in the workplace is distinguishing between employees “currently engaged” in the illegal use of drugs and those who are no longer so engaging.

Spring 2011

It's time to start winning the War on Drugs

New Jersey Drug Court Program Economic Impact

Winter 2011

ADA Limits on Medical Inquiries May Include Tests for Legal Drugs

Employer Drug Testing Policies:Legal Drugs are Different

Autumn 2010

Recent Data Shows that Marijuana is Still the Number One Drug of Abuse

According to data recently released by the Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp), marijuana is still the drug most often detected by employment drug tests.

Summer 2010

DOT Adopts New Drug & Alcohol Testing Rules - Do You Need to Update Your Drug Testing Program?

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) final rule amending certain drug testing procedures goes into effect October 1, and regulated employers are moving to update their written testing plans and practices to reflect the changes.

Spring 2010

A Case Study in How Not to Terminate an Employee Who Failed a Drug Test

Sometimes a court decision can be instructive not because of the law it promulgates, but because of the object lesson it provides. Such a case is the Matter of Michael Brown, an unpublished decision recently decided by the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.

Winter 2010

Cocaine and Amphetamine Use Continue Decline; Test Methods Evolve

A new “Drug Testing Index Special Report” issued by laboratory giant Quest Diagnostics suggests that the abuse of illegal amphetamines and cocaine have continued to decline among United States workers, although it appears that urine drug tests fail to detect a fair number of those who abuse these drugs.