Workplace: Drugs at Work What Employers Can Do

Information on implementing workplace wellness initiatives related to drug use and the appropriateness of drug testing.

The United States is a highly pharmacological society. It seems like everyone is taking a pill for one thing or another – pain relief, hypertension, depression, infection. Some people are managing chronic conditions like mental health issues, migraines, diabetes, COPD, or high cholesterol, while others are fighting cancer or acute infection. Still, others are abusing opioids or benzodiazepines that might have been originally prescribed in good faith. In some states, medicinal marijuana is on the table too. How can employers sort out what is legitimate and what isn’t? And, given privacy restrictions, can they even try?

Private employers have a lot of leeway in whether or not to require drug testing and…