We're sharing a link to this great article from the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) about how workplaces adapted and addressed substance use, addiction, recovery, and stigma in the workplace during the pandemic.  

SHRM | Theresa Agovino | October 2, 2021

The COVID-19 Crisis Has Brought Substance Abuse to Light

Alcohol and drug use surged during the pandemic, forcing substance use disorders—one of the last taboo subjects in corporate America—into the spotlight.

Read the Article

The U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has published a comprehensive workplace toolkit for the prevention and response to opioids and substance use.

The NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) has developed an awareness-level training tool on the prevention of occupational exposure to fentanyl and other opioids, and a second curriculum designed to address the impact of the opioid crisis on workers, the workplace, and the community. Please click on the link below to see and download training curricula, and an array of health and safety resources related to opioid...

According to the World Health Organization, the tobacco epidemic has tremendously impacted global public health with more than 8 million deaths per year and another 1.2 million deaths due to second-hand smoke.

With over 1.3 billion tobacco users, more than 80% reside in low to middle income countries that bear the burden of illness and mortality from its use. Tobacco use contributes to poverty through diversion of household spending to tobacco rather than food or shelter.

The economic costs of tobacco use are considerable and includes healthcare and loss of productivity. In fact, research at...

Identifying Workplace Impairment and Next Steps for Employers

Check out a new workplace impairment webinar featuring great information for employers faced with documenting reasonable suspicion of substance use. The webinar features Dr. Donna Smith of Drug Free America Foundation and Kathy Strain of Drug Free Workplace Pennsylvania who provide practical tips to guide employers.

Download resources:

Webinar Recording

Dr. Donna Smith - Marijuana in the Workplace (Impairment)

Kathy Strain - Identifying Workplace Impairment & Next Steps for Employers

Thursday June 16, 2022 
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EDT

Calling All Workplace Stakeholders!

Drug Free America Foundation cordially invites you to participate in an important webinar Thursday June 16th on: Identifying Workplace Impairment and Next Steps for Employers 

Webinar Summary
With more states than ever legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, as well as the proliferation of other substance use including prescription opioids and stimulants, many employers are confused as to how to recognize the signs and symptoms of impairment. Additionally, some states that have legalized marijuana...

As resources are devoted to help mitigate and abate the opioid crisis, attention has been given to the workplace.  Helping people in recovery regain a healthy lifestyle, in part through regaining consistent supportive employment is an important aspect of one’s recovery journey. A drug free workplace typically provides many needed supports such as structure for all workers to remain drug and alcohol free while at work, provides guidance for supervisory staff on managing the program, and education on the issues of substance use and misuse and its effects to the workplace.

A recovery friendly...

Increased use of illicit substances, especially opioids and fentanyl, along with an increase in deaths from these drugs during the pandemic appears to account for a decline in workforce participation of between 7% - 19% out of an overall reduction of 9% - 26%. The U.S. has still not completely recovered from the decrease. According to a 2022 study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, this downturn of active employment for the prime age group of 25-54 was observed between February 2020 and June of 2021.  

Read more

Abbott – Work Drug Safe Website| Knowledge & Insights Blog | December 2021

Drug use is on the rise in the United States. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA)  identified that the number of past-year  illicit drug users ages 26 and older over the last few years: 14.6% of the population in 2015; 15% of the population in 2016; 16.1% of the population in 2017; and 16.7% of the population in 2018.

The report is ongoing, but we can assume that the numbers will continue to rise when SAMHSA releases the 2019...

Quest Diagnostics just released its 2022 Drug Testing Index (DTI) report of the analyzed results of more than 11 million workforce drug tests in 2021.  The DTI provides context and trends of its drug testing data collection since 1988.   

The report disclosed that overall drug test positivity increased across 16 out of 17 industry categories excluding mining.

Not unexpectedly, all 17 industry categories saw an increase in positivity for marijuana with 15 industries showing a double-digit surge. The industry sector with the greatest rate of marijuana positivity of 7.5% was Accommodations and...

The Journal of the American Medical Association published a recent analysis of the responses from more than 110,000 fulltime employed adults over age 18 from the 2015 – 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health where researchers determined that persons with alcohol use problems had a disproportionate number of absentee days. In fact, the more severe the alcohol disorder, the greater the prevalence of absentee days. In 2019, 14.1 million Individuals in the U.S. with AUD produced more than 232,000,000 missed workdays each year.

These findings make the financial justification for employers to...

With 1 in 14 Americans reporting a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), there is a serious impact to the workplace.  Like many diseases, persons with SUDs can be successfully treated under a doctor’s care and their condition managed with medication, twelve-step programs, counseling, or rehabilitation programs.

Stigma at the workplace can deeply affect the individual in recovery impeding their ability to seek help or sustain their progress.  Stigma is a negative judgement or belief about a person or group based upon a particular characteristic such as substance use that often triggers guilt and shame...

Drug Free America Foundation has released a new resource educating employers and all workplace stakeholders that supporting substance use recovery at work can be a benefit through increased productivity, improved morale, safer workplace, greater employee retention, and a more positive working environment.

The new one-pager provides a short introduction to the concept of a recovery ready workplace through the following points:

• * Describes the impact of Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) to society and the workplace
• * Explains recovery and the role of the workplace in that process
• * Defines...

A final report was released by the U.S. Commission on Combating Opioid Trafficking that emphasized the trafficking of synthetic opioids into the U.S. threatens both the national security and economic wellbeing of the country. The report disclosed the staggering toll that the opioid crisis has on the public and identified a robust plan to fight the scourge. 1

Research data revealed the number of U.S. deaths from drug overdoses has reached over 1 million cumulatively since 1999.  This staggering figure is more than the combined number of service member deaths from all U.S. wars.   Furthermore...

The Stigma and Discrimination Research toolkit is a collection of evidence and resources related to stigma and discrimination research. Health-related stigma and discrimination research has produced theories, models, frameworks, measures, methods, and interventions that can be applied across conditions and populations to help reduce the impact of stigma and discrimination.

This toolkit may be helpful for researchers, government officials looking to incorporate research into policy, community agencies, and various other stakeholders across disciplines and sectors. This toolkit includes a...

Cansford Laboratories, UK  |  Alex Swann  | 09 December 2020

Employers have a duty to protect their employees from injury and that includes the being under the influence or using substance while on the job.  Cansford Labs developed a great guide for employers (UK) that explains drug testing and answers frequently asked questions.

Read the Guide

Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy  |  Alison M. Devlin & Daniel Wight  |  21 April 2020

ABSTRACT The San Patrignano drug recovery community, Italy, is regarded as one of the most successful in the world. However, if this model is to be transferred to other countries, it is necessary to clarify its underlying mechanisms and how far their success is context dependent. This qualitative study investigated these features of the San Patrignano model. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with six key stakeholders and 10 days’ observational field notes. Data were synthesised...

Journal of Social Work Practice in Addictions | Penelope Yates | 2014

This interesting paper was referenced in an earlier post on this forum regarding San Patrignano's program and approach to substance abuse treatment and recovery. 

One key component of the program provides residents with educational opportunities and job skills training through onsite businesses and collaborations with various industries all in a drug-free living and working  environment. 

Read the paper

Brought to you from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Listen First is a program for parents promoting social and emotional learning as a foundation for science-based substance use prevention.

Providing resources such as through Listen First is a means that employers can support those employees' primary role as parents making them more engaged and productive workers. 

Check out the parent resources!

Abbott - Drug Safe Workplace Website | Knowledge & Insights Blog | September, 2021

Cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD, has spiked in popularity over the last few years. However, one consequence of a quick rise to fame is a great deal of misunderstanding, misinformation, and lingering questions about the substance.

What Is CBD and How is it Used?

CBD is a compound found in the cannabis plant, and it can be found in both hemp and marijuana. It has become extremely popular recently as a medical treatment for various ailments, most notably as an effective treatment for childhood...

Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions Blog | Pablo Bolaños

In the song made famous by the late recording artist Tom Petty, the storyteller compares marijuana use to romance, as he longs for a “Last dance with Mary Jane, one more time to kill the pain.” These lyrics echo the romanticized sentiment that many people still have today. Marijuana remains the most-used illicit substance in the US. Popular opinion about its low risks help to spread misinformation, myths, and drive the narrative that marijuana is safe.

According to the latest findings from the United Nations Office on Drugs and...