Bill Could Raise the Need for Workplace Drug Tests

A proposed new law could increase employers’ reliance on contractors who conduct worker drug screens—such as urgent care providers who offer occupational medicine services—if passed by state legislators in Maine. The bill would give employers more power to order drug screens for workers by loosening probable-cause requirements and permitting employers to order a test after a single workplace mishap or other signs of impairment. The bill’s proponents say the laws on the books haven’t kept pace with diminishing restrictions against use of marijuana. They also don’t take into account the pervasive abuse of opioid medications. Critics complain that the bill also eliminates requirements for some companies to provide employee assistance programs. Currently, businesses with 10 or more workers are required to offer an EAP; the bill would raise that threshold to 50 employees.