Bimonthly News Update

We encourage you to share this bimonthly news update with your colleagues and business associates to stay informed on the issues regarding establishing and maintaining a drug-free workplace. A sign-up link can be found at the bottom of this issue for anyone interested in becoming a new member of Drugs Don’t Work in NJ and to directly receive these free updates.

*Disclaimer: Articles and links within articles below do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey

PDFNJ will be hosting it's annual Members Seminar: Legal Issues for a Drug-Free Workplace as a FREE webinar on June 2, 2020 at 1pm. We strongly encourage you to share this information with business associates. If you have any questions, please contact Bill Lillis, Drug-Free Workplace coordinator, at bill@drugfreenj.org or 862-253-6808.

• New Jersey Voters Set to Approve Marijuana Legalization Referendum, Poll Shows

A majority of registered voters in New Jersey are in favor of a proposal to legalize marijuana for adult use that will appear on the state’s November ballot, according to a poll released Thursday. 

• CUMMA confusion: A new federal rule may create a conflict with New Jersey’s medical marijuana program

 The New Jersey Supreme Court’s decision in Wild v. Carriage Funeral Home in March brought national attention to the broad employment-related anti-discrimination provisions of the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act (CUMMA).  

• ACLU: Racial Disparities in Marijuana Arrests Across New Jersey Worsen, Report Reveals, Making Legalization More Urgent

A new ACLU report, ‘A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform,’ coincides with formation of NJ CAN 2020, a diverse, inclusive campaign to legalize marijuana

• FMCSA expands drug and alcohol testing flexibility

Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic national emergency are interfering with, and in some cases might be preventing, employer and driver compliance with current drug and alcohol testing requirements.

• New York Employers: Engage in the Interactive Dialogue with Medical Marijuana Users    

A New York state court denied summary judgment to an employer that terminated an employee for testing positive for marijuana, when the employee obtained a medical marijuana certification prior to the termination decision 

• Boom times for cannabis businesses as Californians, in a pandemic fog, isolate indoors

“Business is up, oh, about one hundred percent,” said Ryan Moran, operations manager for the Flower Co., a marijuana distributor in Arcata — a small college town, seated on Humboldt Bay, just north of Eureka.

• Mary Jane and the Remote Workplace

As shelter in place orders were rolled out in California, many businesses transitioned their workforce to remote work for the first time.                                                                        

• What employers need to know about employees micro-dosing cannabis at work

As medical marijuana moves into the mainstream in many states, it puts employers in a tricky situation: How do you handle it when an employee takes small amounts—known as micro-doses—of THC throughout the workday to manage a medical condition, whether it’s headaches, anxiety, or pain?                                        

• First Advantage Announces New Virtual Drug Test

In response to customer requests for an easy-to-use, quick “back to work” drug test option, First Advantage, the global leader in background check and drug screening solutions, today announced the general availability of its Virtual Drug Test      

• Extra payments motivate sobriety and employment among people recovering from addiction

After a yearlong study of people with opioid dependence, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report evidence that adding $8 an hour to their paychecks may help those in recovery stay drug free longer, as well as encourage them to get and hold regular jobs.

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