Working Partners® Wayfinder
Helping you navigate your drug-free workplace program
March
2022
Further Exploration ...
Drug testing in the age of marijuana normalization: You have more options than you think

As statistics about marijuana use soar and organizations struggle to find ways to hire and keep qualified employees, some employers are starting to wonder if their drug-free workplace program is acting as a barrier to employment. However, before making drastic changes, it's important to explore the role your program plays in your workplace and remember it isn't a one-size-fits-all endeavor. You have options.
Lights ... Camera ... Action ...
Drug-Free Safety Program Annual Report Due Soon
If you're a private employer enrolled in the Ohio BWC's Drug-Free Safety Program, your annual report is due by March 31. And if you haven't completed your annual employee education and supervisor training, don't worry, you still have options:


And don't forget ... what you spend to meet DFSP requirements can be reimbursed through the Ohio BWC's Substance Use Recovery and Workplace Safety Program.
Dept. of Transportation & Oral Fluid Rule
The Department of Transportation released a proposed rule to allow oral fluid testing for regulated employees. The proposed rule means employers would have the option of using urine testing or oral fluid.

One of the reasons shared for including oral fluids as a testing method is that, if the data around the windows of detection is accurate, testing oral fluid may "provide employers with a method for detecting recent use of marijuana" as its window of detection for marijuana is up to 24 hours after use vs. urine testing's window of detection is 3 to 67 days.

DOT is taking comments on the accuracy of the detection window and general comments about the proposed rule until March 30.
Marijuana in Ohio:
Brief Update
Have you been keeping tabs on what Ohio is doing regarding marijuana? If not, here is a quick update:

After collected enough signatures, the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has to turn over their proposal to the Ohio legislators. However, recent reports indicate legislative leadership is not interested in bringing the proposal to a vote.

If, after four months, lawmakers don't take action on the proposal, the Coalition can collect and submit more signatures to bring the proposal to a public vote.
Practical Tools to Support Your Program
Reasonable suspicion can be tricky.

Should you send an employee for a drug test? What if it’s negative? How do you give supervisors the tools they need to respond appropriately and consistently?

Our Protocol Package: The Do’s and Don’ts of Reasonable Suspicion can help your business develop procedures to objectify and document your suspicions and respond quickly and consistently.

The Past Month in the News ...

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Upcoming DFSP Deadlines

Private Sector Enrollees



Public Sector Enrollees
Upcoming Classes

Employee Education:

Supervisor Training:

 Boost Camp:

OnDemand 24/7 courses for employees & supervisors are always available


CEUs through HRCI, OCILB and SHRM available for select courses.
¿Habla Español?

On-going employee education about alcohol and other drug issues is important.

To help you provide information to Spanish-speaking employees in their native language, we have compiled a library of Spanish articles and resources on topics about alcohol and other drugs including information on prevention, misuse and treatment.

(we also included English versions of the resources)