Is Drug Testing Dead?

No, workplace drug testing is certainly not dead. In fact, it is needed more than ever. With positivity rates of drug tests increasing and rates of drug usage increasing internationally, it’s critical that steps are taken to ensure safe workplaces. Substance use has no place in the employment situations, and since it puts all other employees in danger, employers have a mandate to protect their workplace from on the job impairment.

However, the way that drug testing is conducted is changing - rapidly. This is due to a number of factors, including the legalization of marijuana in many states, the increasing availability of impairment detection technology, and the growing awareness of the limitations of traditional drug testing methods.

Impairment vs. Chemical Drug Testing

One of the biggest challenges facing employers today is how to identify employees who are impaired on the job. This is especially important in safety-sensitive industries, such as construction, mining, energy, and manufacturing. Traditional drug testing methods, such as urine, oral fluid, and hair testing, have a number of limitations. Namely, they can only detect prior drug use, not active impairment.

This means that they when a company uses a traditional drug test in an attempt to keep their workplace safe, what they’re doing is indiscriminately policing an employee’s personal time. Urine, saliva, breath, and hair tests cannot identify employees who are currently impaired. This is because the chemical markers that these tests look for often persist in the body for days or weeks after the last use of the drug.

See our post: How long can you test positive for marijuana on a drug test?

This reality is extremely challenging for legal cannabis states in particular. THC, the primary psychoactive molecule in cannabis, is easily detectable for over a month since it was last used, depending on the testing type. To take adverse employment action based on a simple chemical THC test is effectively telling someone that they can’t use a legal substance in their personal time. This is leading many businesses to drop THC testing entirely, but without impairment detection technology in place, this decision opens up their business to cannabis induced on-the-job impairment.

Traditional drug testing methods can also produce false positive results, which can lead to innocent employees being disciplined or fired. Oral fluid tests in particular have a notoriously high false positive rate, which leads to countless innocent people being impacted every year.

Impairment Detection Technology Overview

Impairment detection technology, on the other hand, can only identify employees who are currently impaired. This is done by measuring physiological changes that are associated with drug impairment, such as eye movements, reaction time, and balance.

One of the most promising types of impairment detection technologies is eye tracking. Eye tracking broadly measures the movement of a person's eyes and pupil behavior. This information can be used to identify signs of impairment, such as nystagmus and other involuntary eye movements, pupil dilation, and changes in gaze behavior.

Eye tracking technology has been shown to be effective in identifying impairment caused by a variety of drugs, including marijuana, alcohol, opioids, stimulants and more. It is also non-invasive and easy to use, making it ideal for workplace use.

Gaize's eye tracking test is based on long-accepted testing methods for drug impairment detection. The tests used by Gaize are the same ones that law enforcement Drug Recognition Expert officers have used for over 40 years. They have been used to successfully prosecute impaired driving cases in all 50 states in the US, as well as other countries like Canada. The test is objective and unbiased, and it can be used to identify employees who are impaired on the spot.

Gaize's eye tracking test is a valuable tool for employers who are looking for a way to identify employees who are actively impaired on the job, while allowing them the freedom to use cannabis on their personal time. It can be used in conjunction with traditional drug testing methods to provide a more comprehensive approach to workplace drug testing.

Conclusion

Workplace drug testing is not dead. In fact, it is needed more than ever. However, the way that employers are thinking about controlling workplace impairment is changing. Impairment detection technology is a promising new tool that can help employers to identify employees who are currently impaired on the job.

Additional Tips for Employers

• Employers should use thoroughly researched, scientifically valid, and defensible tools for impairment detection and drug testing.

• A combination of impairment detection technology and traditional drug testing methods is usually the best way to provide a fair and deeply accurate approach to workplace safety from drugs.

• Employers should train employees on the company's drug testing policy and the impairment detection technology that will be used.

• Employers should create a workplace culture that is helpful for employees who are struggling with substance abuse, including treatment if available.