Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn The rate of urine drug testing positivity in the combined U.S. workforce increased to a sixteen-year high in 2019, climbing to 4.5 percent, the highest level since 2003 and more than 28 percent higher than the thirty-year low of 3.5 percent recorded between 2010 and 2012, according …
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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn On August 5, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released two technical assistance documents that addressed concerns about the opioid addiction epidemic and the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), according to a press release from the EEOC. The two …
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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn On July 6, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a “Notice of Enforcement Discretion Determination” that stated the FMCSA “may exercise discretion to determine not to enforce the minimum annual percentage random testing rates for drugs and alcohol” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The …
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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn On May 10, 2020, a law passed by the New York City Council – Int. No. 1445-A – will take effect and prohibit employers in New York City from requiring prospective employees to submit to drug testing for the active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinols (THC), in their …
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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn On February 21, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released data gathered from its Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse and the information showed that the Clearinghouse had detected and identified nearly 8,000 positive substance abuse tests of commercial drivers since it became operational …
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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn Some U.S. states and cities that legalized or decriminalized marijuana also passed laws that mitigate the negative impact on job applicants that fail workplace drug testing for marijuana despite the fact the drug is still illegal at the federal level and these laws will spread in 2020, …
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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn On December 30, 2019, U-Haul International – a moving equipment and storage rental company committed to promoting and empowering a healthy workforce – announced it would be the first major company in its field to implement a nicotine-free hiring policy that will take effect in 21 states …
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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn On December 12, 2019, Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) jointly announced changes to the provisions of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program which include removing marijuana from the Drugs of Abuse list and drug testing for opioids. The MLB …
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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn In October of 2019, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) – an administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) responsible for regulating and providing safety oversight of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) – opened registration for the Congressionally-mandated FMCSA Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Drug and Alcohol …
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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn On June 5, 2019, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak signed 60 bills that included Assembly Bill 132 (AB 132) that will prohibit the denial of employment because of the presence of marijuana in a pre-employment drug test taken by a prospective employee except under certain specific circumstances. AB …
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