Dr. Suhash Harwani, PhD, Harwani Consulting
In today’s rapidly changing workplace environment, employee safety and well-being must remain top priorities for employers. A strong focus on safety not only protects employees but also supports productivity, reliability, and overall organizational performance. One critical component of building a safe and dependable workforce is the implementation of a thoughtful drug testing policy. However, as the landscape of substance use continues to evolve, it has become increasingly clear that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to workplace drug testing.
Every organization differs in its operational risks, workforce demographics, job functions, and regulatory obligations. As a result, each employer requires a tailored approach to drug testing and impairment detection—one that aligns with its specific business objectives, risk profile, and workplace culture. A well-designed strategy not only strengthens safety and compliance but also supports employee well-being and long-term performance.
As drug policy and social norms continue to shift, employers face growing—and often misunderstood—impairment risks. Much of this change is driven by marijuana legalization and the federal rescheduling, increased interest in psychedelics, and the widespread availability of substances such as kratom. Cannabis, even where legally permitted (at the state level), can impair reaction time, attention, memory, and decision-making long after the perceived “high” has faded, creating safety risks in both safety-sensitive and non-safety-sensitive environments. Psychedelics, sometimes discussed as therapeutic or “microdosed,” can also introduce unpredictable cognitive and perceptual effects that impair judgment and situational awareness, while kratom’s stimulant- and opioid-like properties may affect alertness, coordination, and dependency risk.
Compounding these challenges, many of these substances are difficult to assess using traditional drug testing methods, particularly when impairment does not necessarily align with recent use. As legalization, rescheduling, and normalization accelerate, employers must increasingly shift their focus from detecting substances to identifying real-time impairment and fitness for duty to protect employees, operations, and the public.
The case for workplace drug testing
Workplace drug testing remains a proven and effective tool for improving safety and business outcomes. Drug positivity trends consistently demonstrate that testing programs act as a deterrent to illicit drug use. Employers with established drug testing programs also report tangible benefits, including reduced workplace accidents and injuries, lower healthcare and insurance costs, and earlier identification of substance use issues. Early identification is particularly important, as it allows employers to connect employees with support resources before issues escalate, supporting both workforce health and organizational stability.
Substance use in the workforce is not a theoretical risk. A significant portion of the adult population struggles with substance use, and impairment—regardless of cause—can substantially increase the likelihood of errors, incidents, and injuries, especially in safety-sensitive roles. When thoughtfully implemented, workplace drug testing helps deter unsafe behavior and ensures employees are fit for duty.
Why a one-size-fits-all policy doesn’t work
Different industries and job functions carry vastly different risk profiles and regulatory requirements. A generic policy that treats every role the same can under-protect high-risk positions while unnecessarily burdening lower-risk roles—ultimately eroding trust, morale, and effectiveness. Traditional drug testing methods also have limitations, particularly in their ability to detect newer substances or assess actual impairment. As a result, employers must regularly review both their testing policies and emerging technologies to ensure programs remain relevant, defensible, and effective.
The power of random testing
Ongoing deterrence is a critical element of any effective drug testing program. Pre-employment drug testing alone is limited, as individuals can temporarily abstain from use when they know testing is scheduled. By contract, random testing introduces unpredictability by selecting employees for testing without cause at unannounced intervals. This unpredictability significantly strengthens deterrence and increases the likelihood of identifying substance use before it results in harm.
Industry data consistently shows that in private employer drug testing, random testing yields higher positivity rates than pre-employment testing, reinforcing that unscheduled testing is more effective at uncovering ongoing drug use. At the same time, organizations that implement random testing often see reductions in overall positivity rates over time, indicating its effectiveness as both a detection and prevention tool.
Beyond chemistry: New impairment detection technologies
Unlike alcohol—where a well-established impairment standard exists—there is currently no scientifically validated, nationwide impairment standard for marijuana in the United States. THC, the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis, is metabolized and stored differently than alcohol, meaning its presence in blood, urine, saliva, or breath does not reliably correlate with cognitive or motor impairment. Detectable THC levels can persist long after impairing effects have subsided, making it difficult to determine whether an individual is actually impaired at a given moment. Additionally, marijuana is only one of many substances that may cause impairment. Traditional drug testing primarily detects past use, not real-time functional ability.
To address this gap, emerging impairment detection technologies are gaining attention. These solutions assess functional impairment—such as reaction time, coordination, balance, and cognitive performance—regardless of the underlying cause. By focusing on how the brain and body are performing in real time, rather than simply detecting the presence of a substance, these technologies address a fundamental limitation of traditional testing. They also represent a shift toward non-invasive, rapid, and objective tools that can be used routinely in workplace settings without the delays, privacy concerns, or ambiguity associated with conventional drug tests.
Ongoing research into eye-tracking analytics, sensor-based cognitive assessments, and other performance-based models further demonstrates how the science is moving toward functional impairment standards that are both legally and scientifically defensible. A non-exhaustive list of companies developing such technologies includes: DRUID, Gaize, Predictive Safety, Predictmedix, Sightic Analytics, and Zxerex.
Conclusion
There is no universal drug testing policy that fits every organization. By adopting a tailored approach that incorporates random testing and modern impairment detection technologies, employers can build safer, fairer, and more effective workforce safety programs. In doing so, organizations protect not only their operations and bottom line, but—most importantly—the health, safety, and wellness of their employees.
Dr. Suhash Harwani consults in clinical, forensic, and environmental toxicology with specific focus on small molecule isolation and analysis, drug testing, and laboratory services optimized with advanced automation and AI-enabled workflow implementation. Dr. Harwani has more than 15 years of experience performing drug and environmental toxicology testing and has overseen scientific initiatives for both large clinical and SAMHSA-certified laborator