California Cities Dropping Thousands of Marijuana Convictions
June 11, 2018
Background screening is a standard tool used during the pre-employment process. Background screening is a way for employers to make informed decisions when hiring and helps to maintain a safe working environment.
When taken as directed prescription opioids, such as Oxycodone (OxyContin), Hydrocodone (Vicodin), and Methadone can help moderate pain management, however, these pills can often be misused and lead to addiction, job loss, and even death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are nearly 46 deaths a day caused by prescription opioid abuse. In order to take action against the nationwide epidemic, state legislators are putting laws in place to reduce abuse and misuse.
DISA is committed to best serving our customers by expanding the scope of our transportation compliance capabilities and adding experienced subject matter experts to complement our growing team.
As drug testing in the workplace becomes commonplace, especially in safety-sensitive positions, there are some everyday myths that circulate around the topic. DISA Global Solutions has the expert knowledge to help settle those myths and provide a better understanding of the employee screening industry and its procedures.
Helping drivers stay safe on the road, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is enforcing a new Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule to maintain higher driving safety standards. Establishing more extensive ELDT requirements, this new rule improves the safety of commercial motor vehicles (CMV) driving on the roads around you through the implementation of those mandatory training requirements.
Over two million Americans are estimated to have a problem with opioids. According to the latest survey data, over 97 million people took prescription painkillers in 2015; of these, 12 million did so without direction by a doctor. Between 1960 and 2005, consumer expenditures on prescription drugs rose from $2.7 billion to $200.7 billion. Total spending on prescription drugs in the U.S. rose 12.2% to nearly $425 billion in 2015[1]. An estimated 6.4 million people reported misusing psychotherapeutic drugs in the past month, including 3.8 million people who were misusers of prescription pain relievers[2].
As of January 1, 2018, California became the 10th state to enact ban-the-box laws for both private employers, as well as public. In the other 40 states, some jurisdictions have simply mandated that employers can't consider convictions or criminal history until later in the hiring process. Under the Fair Chance Act, these laws give applicants a fair opportunity to be considered for a job by preventing employers from excluding applicants with a criminal history from the beginning of the hiring process. By eliminating questions regarding criminal history from the application, employers instead are encouraged to choose a candidate based on their first impression, qualifications, and skills for the job.
The differences in marijuana legalization vary from state to state and are changing the way employers handle workplace drug testing. The detection windows for THC can test positive 30 days after its initial use for chronic users with a urine analysis, and up to 90 days with a hair analysis. This leaves employers faced with complexities when determining if employees are impaired at work, or if they used at another time. Establishing a method to validate impairment in the workplace will deter employees from using in the first place and create a safer working environment.