Jonathan Baktari, MD, CEO, US Drug Test Centers
Research tells us that approximately 3.8% of the world’s population (or 158.8 million people) uses marijuana. In 2023, about 17% of Americans reported smoking marijuana, which was higher than in previous years. And — here’s the really concerning part — nearly one-third of professionals (29%) in the United States admitted to using cannabis at work, according to an online survey of more than 2,500 individuals in April of 2022.
The legalization of marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use is widespread across the United States. We live in an era of remote working. What, then, does this mean for employers? How might this change how they hire and manage employees? Furthermore, should they continue to test for marijuana? If so, what happens if they see a rise in positive drug test results?
Is marijuana use bad even for remote workers?
Unequivocally, yes.
We sometimes think, “Well, what employees do at home is their business.” False! If they do it on the clock, it’s also the employer’s business. Here’s why companies should care.
THC impacts the hippocampus, which is a part of the brain that’s involved in both memory formation and information processing. In the short term, marijuana can make individuals anxious, confused, tired, and paranoid. In the long term, it can lead to more severe cognitive impairment and memory loss. Other side effects of marijuana use include hallucinations, psychosis, and difficulty paying attention.
So, marijuana use can cause employees to be slow, sluggish, and forgetful — among other things. This can lead to a decrease in productivity and an increase in errors, which can negatively impact a business’s bottom line. In total, businesses lose about $81 billion to drug use — $25 billion of which goes to healthcare costs, and the rest to lost work and productivity. The cost of drug abuse in the workplace is steep.
Should employers continue testing for THC?
Definitely.
Regardless of the drawbacks, if so many professionals are using cannabis, should employers even bother screening? Won’t that make it harder to find and retain employees?
Well, let’s look at the options. Let’s say that employers stop screening their workers for marijuana. We can then presume that more employees will be high on the clock. And as you now know, impaired workers are unreliable at best and a liability at worst.
Let’s then say that as a result, an employer needs to permanently remove an employee from the workplace (whether onsite or remote). Having to replace employees is far more expensive than keeping the ones they’ve got. It can cost six to nine months of an employee’s salary if the employer needs to recruit, hire, and train someone new, although some estimates say that the number is higher. So, if an employer needs to fill a position that pays $80,000 a year, they should plan to spend around $40,000 to $60,000 to fill that position.
The takeaway here is that it’s far more cost-effective (and safer for all involved) to find and keep the right people from the get-go than to roll the dice, skip drug testing, and later need to replace an employee because they showed up to work high and caused damages. Again, this isn’t only for employees who show up onsite. Employers can absolutely drug test remote workers. This is vital for keeping remote workers productive.
To sum it up, yes, employers should screen for THC. The threat is clear. It’s a psychotropic drug that impairs users both mentally and physically. Plus, regardless of the state legalization of marijuana usage, it is still illegal on a federal level.
Is random testing for marijuana fair?
Random testing has been called into question many times before. As an example, let’s say that an employee smoked marijuana on a Saturday. They show up to work Monday morning sober but are then selected for a random drug test.
Because marijuana can last one to three days in urine (and up to 30 days for habitual/chronic use), that employee tests positive for THC, even though they no longer feel high. Is it fair that they should suffer the ramifications of testing positive while on the clock?
Well, “fairness” comes down to that company’s drug-free workplace policy, so let’s talk about that next.
What do employers need to know about screening for marijuana?
One of the most important things for employers to keep in mind is the importance of maintaining an up-to-date drug-free workplace policy. This protects the business owner, the business entity, and everyone who works for it by shielding everyone from accusations of discrimination, limiting liabilities, and ultimately saving time and money.
A drug-free workplace policy details important points like:
- What substances the company screens for.
- How it tests (hair, urine, etc.).
- The company’s stance on medical marijuana usage.
- Under what conditions it tests (random testing, reasonable suspicion, etc.).
- How the drug testing program removes bias during random selection.
- How the company handles a positive drug test result.
- How it handles an employee’s refusal to submit to a drug test.
A policy can vary depending on the business and its needs, particularly if it operates under a Department of Transportation (DOT) agency. The DOT has set forth its own guidelines for keeping employees sober. Complete compliance is mandatory to keep affiliated businesses up and running.
Evolving legislation means evolving policies
Before marijuana was legalized, there was a lot less of a gray area. However, the rapid and significant change in legislation means that businesses — and thus, drug testing centers — need to be much more proactive.
Drug testing for marijuana and other illicit substances is the most effective way to hire and retain quality employees, protect the workplace (and its staff), and keep the business profitable.