Updated May 7, 2019. This information is provided for educational purposes only. Reader retains full responsibility for the use of the information contained herein.
The information provided below is based off of the current Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announcement as of April 2019 and is subject to change as the program further develops. As new information becomes available, DISA will add to this page. Last Update 4/16/2019
The legalization of medical marijuana varies greatly by state, which can often be confusing for employers with drug testing policies. All companies must abide by state laws when implementing drug testing policies or risk potential lawsuits. A recent lawsuit example involving a major retail chain in Arizona has proved just how important it is to know your state laws to protect your company.
Creating a drug testing program is just the first step in maintaining a safer working environment. Proper program management and regularly occurring audits are vital to maintain compliance and best practices. An audit can sound scary and you might feel some anxiety after experiencing or hearing about other companies that went through difficult audits which resulted in fines or lost work.
Drug and alcohol testing is an essential program that increases safety at your workplace and reduces the risk of employees being impaired at your facility. As an industry-leading third-party administrator (TPA) of drug testing, we've seen an increase in medical prescriptions for drugs like marijuana and opioids (Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, etc.). It's important for employers to understand how these prescriptions affect safety-sensitive employees in the drug testing process, what the process is when an employee has a prescription, and why you may need to implement new procedures to ensure your facility stays as safe as possible.
In 2018, DISA Global Solutions hosted it’s very first ‘Day with DISA’ drug testing symposium. This special event educated employers on the importance of maintaining compliance and drug testing policies within the era of ever-changing marijuana laws. As the second largest drug testing conference in the U.S., a ‘Day with DISA’ aimed to have attendees leave with a better understanding of the current drug testing environment and actionable information to help them form a safer working environment.
Over the past 18 months, DISA Global Solutions has more than tripled our on-site and mobile drug and alcohol collection and testing capabilities. This comes as a result of the successful acquisitions and integrations of Midwest Toxicology Services (MTS), SECON, Forward Edge, Occupational Drug Testing, LLC (ODT), and International Drug Detection, LLC (IDD). The expanded teams and capabilities allow DISA to significantly increase our coverage, capacity, and geographic reach to better serve our valued customers. DISA’s on-site and mobile collections provide greater flexibility and convenience for our clients.
On October 29, 2018, DISA Global Solutions hosted its very first ‘Day with DISA’ conference. This drug testing symposium helped educate employers on trending topics in the industry that directly impact workplace safety and compliance. Employers who comply with the Departmentof Transportation (DOT) for their business have specific guidelines and policies that they must follow, which often contradict or cause confusion with the everchanging marijuana legalization laws which vary by state. The symposium helped to address and clarify topics that the DOT specifies, while also clarifying the differences laws with non-DOT employees versus DOT employees.
