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.

PDFNJ will be hosting a FREE webinar Thursday, August 20, at 11am - "Prescribing Opioids in the Time of COVID-19". This webinar is open to any NJ business, so 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 marijuana companies invest in infrastructure build-outs ahead of recreational vote

Amid the ongoing expansion of New Jersey’s medical marijuana market as well as the anticipated victory of recreational legalization at the ballot box in November, some of the state’s cannabis companies are investing heavily in cultivation build-outs and other infrastructure to meet an expected surge in demand.

• EEOC Releases Technical Assistance Documents on Opioid Addiction and Employment

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today released two new technical assistance documents that address concerns about the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the opioid epidemic.

• House bill blocks feds from enforcing marijuana ban in states that legalized recreational, medical weed

Legislation to fund much of the federal government in the new year passed the House Friday after lawmakers first voted to prevent the Justice Department from enforcing the federal ban on marijuana in states that have legalized the drug.

• Delaware Court Upholds Denial of Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Medical Marijuana Costs

The compensability of medical marijuana costs for a workers’ compensation claim turns on an individualized inquiry of whether such treatment is reasonable and necessary, and not whether the use of medical marijuana is permissible under state law, according to the Delaware Superior Court.  Nobles-Roark v. Back Burner, Case No. N19A-11-001 ALR (Del. Superior Ct. July 28, 2020).

• Marion County Teacher, Veteran Appeals Termination for Medical Marijuana Use

Michael Hickman, 50, logged on to his virtual administrative court hearing against the Marion County School Board, the latest development in an ongoing debate on the legitimacy of Hickman’s termination from Belleview High School, after a failed drug test in November, for the use of medical marijuana

• WCRI Reports Opioid Use Down, But Strict Regulation Remains

Two WCRI reports shed light on drug regulations and spend in workers’ comp.

• FMWF Chamber Eggs and Issues event tackles issues of workplace wellness and addiction

Mary Locken and Mary Beth Traynor are intimately familiar with the frustration and heartbreak that come with battling to help their children escape addiction.

• Workplace Drug Tests Show less Use of Some Types of Drugs (in Hawaii)

Workplace drug tests taken in Hawai‘i during the pandemic show a decrease in the use of amphetamines, cocaine and opiates, while marijuana use has been on the rise.

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