Should I Stop Drug Testing?

• You don’t have to stop drug testing applicants just because there are certain substances (e.g., marijuana) your organization doesn’t want to test for
• By using drug panels, your company can customize their drug testing program, so they don’t have to completely get rid of it. They can customize their program to include the drugs that they want to or are required to test for
• As the use of cocaine and opioids continues to grow, it might not be the best option to completely stop drug testing

What do Bob Marley, Snoop Dogg, and Willie Nelson have in common? Sure, you might think it’s their iconic long hair, and you’d be right. But there’s something else that stands out about them – their famous ties to marijuana use. If you didn’t see that one coming, surprise! They were among the first to openly advocate for smoking marijuana. Fast forward to today, the world has changed. Marijuana is now smoked openly, used for medicinal purposes, and the cannabis industry is booming. With that growth, it is essential for your organization’s drug testing program adapt accordingly.

Why Your Company May Consider Stopping Drug Testing:

So why would your company want to stop drug testing? Is it because 24 states, two territories, and Washington D.C. have legalized marijuana? Is it because 88% say marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use?  Or because Canada legalized marijuana for their entire country in 2018? There are several reasons why a company would want to stop drug testing. From the looks of it, the federal legalization for marijuana is right around the corner! But…what about other drugs?

Opioids, heroin, and cocaine – the use of these drugs continue to be on the rise. Did you know that every day more than 136 people in the US die from an opioid overdose?  Check out more statistics from the NCDAS (National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics):

• Prescription opioids are a factor in 32% of opioid overdose deaths
• At least 71.8% and as many as 80% of overdose deaths involve opioids
• 25.4% of illegal drug users have a drug disorder
• 80% of people who use heroin first misused prescription opioids
• Opioid abuse increased among full-time employees, to 3.9%, up from 3.8% and 3.6% of part-time employees misuse opioids

Hard to believe those are just the opioid statistics, right? The numbers for heroin-use and cocaine-use are just as shocking.

According to the NLM (National Library of Medicine), 5.4 million people reported using cocaine in 2019. The NIH (National Institute on Drug Abuse) and CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) provided some information:

• About 1.1 million people reported using heroin in 2021
• Approximately 9,173 people died from an overdose involving heroin in 2021
• The number of drug overdose deaths involving heroin in 2022 was nearly 2x the number in 2010.

*This chart includes attributable deaths for each drug; some deaths involve multiple drug types, and percentage totals will exceed 100%.

Why are we sharing this information with you? We want to inform employers of the ongoing need for drug testing, which goes beyond marijuana. Even if your organization doesn’t mind an employee’s cannabis use, there are additional reasons why maintaining a drug testing program remains beneficial.

After all, it’s 2025 – there’s no reason you can’t customize your drug testing program to fit your organization’s needs while also complying with the everchanging cannabis laws.

Drug Testing Panels: How They Work

Panels to the rescue! But what are panels? In the context of drug testing, panels are key. You can’t just run a single test and expect it to detect every drug someone might have used. Each drug has its own unique chemical makeup, and each panel is designed to detect a specific substance. So, if you want to test for multiple drugs, you’ll need multiple panels. For example, one panel might be used to test for cocaine, and another for opioids. Still a little unclear? Let us break it down with an example.

How Drug Testing Kits Are Like Panels

If you have encountered drug testing kits in retail stores such as Dollar Tree or Walmart, you may have noticed that not all kits test for the same substances. One kit may be designated for testing marijuana, while another may test for opiates and additional drugs. Each kit specifically tests for the substance indicated on its label, which is similar to how panels operate. To test for multiple substances, it will be necessary to purchase multiple kits. The same principle applies to panels; if you wish to test for more than one substance, you must customize your panel to include the specific substances you wish to test for.

The Future of Drug Testing

Drug testing gives your organization full control. When setting up a drug testing program, your organization can choose exactly what substances they want to test for. Don’t mind your employees using marijuana but want to avoid cocaine use? You have the power to customize it to fit your organization’s needs.

Thanks to panels, you have full control over what your applicants are tested for. Before deciding to skip drug testing completely, keep this in mind – if there’s a specific drug you want to add or remove from the test, there’s a panel option for that.

In Conclusion

The world of drug testing is evolving. Your organization doesn’t have to completely stop testing just because marijuana is becoming more widely accepted. With drug panels, you can customize your program to focus on what matters the most to your organization.

As the rise in opioid, heroin, and cocaine use continues to make headlines, it’s clear that drug testing still plays an important role. Instead of stopping altogether, consider changing your approach. Customize your testing to fit your organization’s priorities and ensure you’re addressing the right risks for your workplace.

To learn more about drug testing panels, you may contact Validity’s Drug Testing team at drugtesting@validityscreening.com