DTAB Recommendations Approved by HHS

Drug Testing Advisory Board’s (DTAB), July 2011 recommendations have been approved by the Dept of Health and Human Services SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. J.D.  The recommendations are as follows:

• Based on review of the science, DTAB recommends that SAMHSA include oral fluid as an alternative specimen in the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs.
• DTAB recommends the inclusion of additional Schedule II prescription medications (e.g., oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone and hydromorphone) in the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs.

The Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance (ODAPC) of the US Department of Transportation expressed support for the recommendations, and will follow with rulemaking to amend the DOT drug testing regulations. Jim Swart, Director ODAPC, stated that “the DOT is required by law to follow HHS procedures for the drugs for which we test and the specimens we test.  Therefore, we will continue to work with the DTAB, HHS/SAHMSA, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and others to bring these approved recommendations to realization in our regulations and throughout the transportation industries.”