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  • 05152019
    Consumer Reports Online

    The 26-year-old video producer from Reno, Nev., was shocked when a drug test he took as part of a job application came back positive for marijuana. The problem? He hadn’t used marijuana, he says. Instead, J.C., who prefers not to use his name, had taken CBD, or cannabidiol, from hemp to help with sleep and anxiety. And unlike THC, a related compound in cannabis plants, CBD can’t get you high.[CR-LF][CR-LF]So how can you fail a drug test after taking CBD? The urine test most commonly used doesn’t even look for CBD but instead a compound created by the body when it metabolizes THC, says Barry Sample, senior director of science and technology at Quest Diagnostics, the largest administrator of drug tests in the U.S. “There isn’t going to be a laboratory analytical false positive confusing CBD with a THC metabolite.”

  • 05152019
    Pot Portal

    Statistics Canada’s most recent National Cannabis Survey estimates 514,000 Canadians are using cannabis before or during work.[CR-LF][CR-LF]While age and gender don’t play a factor in terms of increasing the likelihood of consumption on the job, frequency of cannabis use does. Of cannabis consumers who use cannabis daily or almost daily, 27% of survey respondents say they also consume just before starting work or during working hours. By comparison, a mere 7% of respondents who enjoy cannabis on a more casual basis admit to doing so on the job.[CR-LF]American diagnostics firm Quest Diagnostics reports that the number of positive drug tests in the workplace hit a 14 year high in 2018, including rising numbers in every state where recreational cannabis is legal. The problem with these figures, however, is that they may just show increases because more tests are being conducted. It doesn’t necessarily mean an increase in consumption.

  • 05152019
    Rockland Register

    Quest Diagnostics Inc. announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, May 14th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be paid a dividend of 0.53 per share by the medical research company on Monday, July 22nd. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%.

  • 05142019
    Quest Diagnostics

    Some employers choose to build their drug-free workplace programs by leveraging multiple specimen types such as oral fluid, urine, and hair. This diversity allows for accurate, reliable, flexible options that can help to meet a variety of program goals and objectives. Hair drug testing in particular, with its longer window of detection, can detect repetitive drug use for up to 90 days. The ability for a hair drug test to produce a long-term drug use history leads many employers to question whether a hair drug test can consistently and effectively detect one-time drug use.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The simple answer is probably not. Jarod Rowland, Laboratory Supervisor at Quest Diagnostics, specializes in hair testing technology. Rowland explained the strengths and limits of hair tests.

  • 05142019
    SHRM Online

    Many employers in New York City will no longer be able to test job applicants for marijuana or THC—the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis—under a rule that was just adopted in the Big Apple. The new mandate will take effect in 2020.[CR-LF][CR-LF]"Prospective employers don't test for alcohol, so marijuana should be no different. But in no way does this bill justify individuals going to work under the influence," said Jumaane Williams, New York City's public advocate and the legislation's sponsor. [CR-LF][CR-LF]We've rounded up the latest news on this topic. Here are SHRM Online resources and news articles from other trusted media outlets.