2016

OH&S Magazine: How to Maintain a Drug-Free Workplace and Ensure Audit Success
10/1/2016
Every day, a small but elite group of professionals work diligently to make sure our employees and customers are safe by working with a drug-free workplace program (DFWP). In my case, I was a happy administrative assistant until one day when my manager asked, "Would you help me with this little drug program?" I had no idea what I was getting myself into; however, it changed my professional life and opened up my understanding of workplace safety. This vocation is not for the faint of heart, yet it is very rewarding and often adventurous. Most of these professionals always have a cellphone nearby and understand there is a real possibility of getting a 3 a.m. call. We also have a great opportunity to help someone who may have struggled with substance abuse or misuse.

OH&S Magazine: Maintaining Drug-Free Workplaces Where Marijuana is Legal
10/1/2016
With half of United States allowing some form of marijuana use, the workplace has become a hotbed of controversy when it comes to changing workplace drug policies. Many employers are under pressure from employees to loosen those policies, making allowances for marijuana as a social drug, one often compared to alcohol. There are similarities in that you would not allow an employee to be intoxicated at work; likewise, you would not allow an employee to be impaired at work while under the influence of marijuana. The substances, however, are quite different when it comes to determining whether an employee is currently under the influence of marijuana or has residual THC that has metabolized.

PR Web: Marijuana Not Conducive to Workplace Safety, DATIA Says
The DEA report affirming Schedule 1 Controlled Substance classification of marijuana shows clear evidence that marijuana is a drug causing impairment inconsistent with workplace safety.

PR Web: DATIA Welcomes Drug and Alcohol Testing Professionals to its Annual Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas
The Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA), the premier association for this industry, announced its final agenda for the 2016 Annual Conference and Exposition—"Double Down for Success"— April 26-28, 2016 at the majestic Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV.

2015

OH&S Magazine: The Prescription Drug Misuse Epidemic: Are We Making Progress?
9/1/2015
It's clear that the war on drugs has shifted away from the back alleys and instead on to Main Street. Abuse of prescription medication has grown to a bona fide public health crisis. It's been almost 45 years since then-President Nixon declared a "war on drugs" and more than 30 years since the "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign of the Reagan Administration. There has been no clear winner in the war on drugs, which has simply evolved and re-emerged in new forms. But can we say that our "tools"—the strategies that we have employed to combat drug abuse–have kept pace with the evolving face of drug abuse? The answer is both no and yes.

OH&S Magazine: What to Look for in a C/TPA or Program Manager
9/1/2015
The wrong choice in a service agent for your drug testing services may or may not cause ongoing problems, but it only takes one test to go bad for devastating consequences to occur.

PR Web: DATIA Aims to Provide Educational Resources on Employers’ Rights to Test for Marijuana
By DATIA Management
08/25/2015
The Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA) is pleased to announce its newest initiative –The Marijuana Education Outreach Fund. As states move forward with various forms of legalized marijuana, whether legalized for medical or recreational use, employers seeking to maintain a safe and drug-free workplace are forced to face new challenges. Many employers are unsure of how safe marijuana is and whether they can continue to test for marijuana use and take corrective actions against employees that test positive.

2014

Facility Safety Management: Drug and Alcohol Testing for the Oil and Gas Industry
By Laura Shelton, CMP, DATIA Executive Director
11/2014
In the oil and gas industry, contractors often work for multiple operators, who may have different requirements for their substance abuse programs. As such, contracts face extreme complexities in maintaining compliance with different contract requirements. DATIA is working on creating global industry testing guidelines with which contractors can comply and with which owners/operators can monitor.

Addiction Professional Magazine: A Three-pronged Strategy to Stay Ahead of Drug Test Cheaters
9/8/2014
The first part of this article examined the creative ways in which some individuals try to beat a drug test. In order to beat cheaters at their own game, it is important to know what you're looking for in terms of a urine sample that is not right. Labs primarily look at two things when confirming the validity of a urine specimen: creatinine, which is present in all urine; and specific gravity, the urine’s density.

OH&S Magazine: Drug Testing & Safety: What's the Connection?
9/2/2014
Born some 30 years ago, drug testing in the workplace connects to occupational safety as a key component in protecting the safety, health, and welfare of employees, as well as the general public. Drug testing programs can contribute to the reduction of employee injury- and illness-related costs, including medical care, sick leave, and disability benefit costs.

OH&S Magazine: What Are the Costs Associated with Marijuana Legalization?
9/1/2014
As marijuana legalization surges across our nation, many of us view it as an inevitable tidal wave of unquestioning change that we must consider the new cultural norm. The prevailing mindset seems to be that "everyone wants it." However, the simple fact that the marijuana lobby has a brilliant marketing strategy of social norming does not mean that everyone wants marijuana legalization, nor does it indicate that our responses to this issue are coming from an informed point of view.

Orlando Sentinel: Keeping Workplaces Drug-Free: Front & Center
6/17/2014
This is an interview Phil Dubois, the current chairman of the board of The Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association. Dubois discusses workplace drug testing and medical marijuana in this excerpt.

Addiction Professional Magazine: Legalized Marijuana and Workplace Testing, p. 38
5/15/2014
With increasingly relaxed attitudes toward marijuana legalization in the United States, some employers are evaluating their drug screening protocols and wondering if it is time for a change. Once Florida contractor recently made this observation to a drug test provider: "What people do on the weekend is no business of mine. If they are using pot, who am I to judge? So long as they do not come to work high."

VIDEO: The Evolving Drug-free Workplace
2/24/2014
During this hour-long program, The Evolving Drug-Free Workplace, we'll hear how some businesses are trying to keep their workers safe. Find out how testing programs work and how any company can implement them. Learn how the law protects companies even as attitudes change.