Federal drug-testing program unchanged despite new state marijuana laws: SAMHSA memo
Washington — Although some state drug laws recently have been revised to legalize marijuana, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is reminding officials that the federal government’s Drug-Free Workplace Program has not changed.
In a one-paragraph memo sent Nov. 9 to federal drug program coordinators and federal medical review officers, Ron Flegel, director of the Division of Workplace Programs at SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, writes that the Drug-Free Workplace Program will “continue to test for Schedule I and Schedule II controlled substances at the established cut-off levels listed in the Mandatory Guidelines.”
Schedule I drugs include cannabis, heroin, LSD, ecstasy and peyote. Schedule II drugs include Vicodin, cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, OxyContin, fentanyl, Adderall and Ritalin.
On Election Day, Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana. Meanwhile, Mississippi and South Dakota joined 13 other states in legalizing marijuana for medical use.
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