Congratulations to Sandra Serrano, SAPAA President-Elect 2019-2020. Sandra has been an active member of the SAPAA Board of Directors since 2016. As a Board member, she has utilized her experience to help further SAPAA’s mission to promote the highest standards of quality and integrity in the field.

Query Plans Now Available for Purchase

Upgrades to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) DroneZone now allows recreational flyers to request airspace authorizations in controlled airspace where the 

Drivers have diabetes mellitus (DM), specifically Type II DM, at a higher rate than the general public. This is likely rooted in the sedentary lifestyle and poor food choices many drivers make, so some of them are treated with simple lifestyle and diet changes. Others receive oral medications or insulin.

As more states have legalized marijuana for medicinal or recreational use, the number of companies utilizing drug tests, particularly for marijuana, has begun to decline.

CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state and local health departments, and other clinical and public health partners are investigating a multistate outbreak of lung injury associated with use of e-cigarette, or vaping, products.

Summary: The Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS” or “Department”) has established scientific and technical guidelines for the inclusion of oral fluid specimens in the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs (Guidelines).

These reports and detailed tables present estimates from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

Cannabidiol - better known as CBD - is everywhere, from small specialty shops to large national retail chains. It can be found in foods, supplements, drugs, oils, creams, pet foods and more, and sellers purport that the compound treats everything from cancer to depression. Analysts say the market could surpass $20 billion by 2024.

What is the FMCSA Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse?

A secure, online database that will give employers and other authorized users real-time information about commercial driver’s license (CDL) and commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders’ drug and alcohol program violations. 

The NRC will soon issue in the Federal Register a proposed rulemaking to amend the drug testing requirements of the Fitness for Duty (FFD) Program in 10 CFR Part 26.

Pre-employment and post-accident drug testing have been challenged in courts in almost every state where medical marijuana has been legalized. These differing state laws create uncertainty for enforcing a drug-free workplace, even for safety-sensitive positions. In the transportation industry, these permissive state laws run directly afoul of federal requirements to keep the public highways and skies safe and drug-free.

Federal health officials slammed vaping company Juul on Monday for illegally advertising its nicotine pods as a safer alternative to cigarettes, threatening to fine or even seize the company’s products if it doesn’t correct its marketing.

"Too many people in our country and in our communities are still dying from opioid-related overdoses," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We must and can do a better job of getting naloxone in the hands of people who really need it, and those likely to be nearby when an overdose occurs."

Across the United States and Canada, people are buying cocaine only to discover too late that it contains potentially deadly fentanyl, a new report warns.

 During 2016 and 2017, drug overdose death rates were higher in U.S. cities than rural areas, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics.

This NPRM does not change the mandatory use of the Clearinghouse, due to begin on January 6, 2020, for drivers, employers, consortia/third-party administrators (C/TPAs), medical review officers (MROs), and substance abuse professionals (SAPs).

ASAP is exhibiting at EAPA September 24-27, Booth #410. Stop by and see us. We can help answer questions about the Clearinghouse coming in January 2020.

Join the 2019 global gathering of employee assistance professionals, to be held at the magnificent and unique St. Louis Union Station Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. Attendees come from thirty five countries around the world. This is the most intensive and comprehensive learning and networking opportunity dedicated to the growth of the employee assistance profession. 

Tuesday September 17th-

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Aug. 14 issued a long-awaited proposal to make changes to its hours-of-service rules that would increase truck drivers’ flexibility with their 30-minute rest break and with allocating time in a sleeper berth.

Recently, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued guidelines for Federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of “medical marijuana.” http://www.justice.gov/opa/documents/medical-marijuana.

According to a roadside survey conducted in Washington State, 14.1% of drivers with children in the car -- nearly one in seven -- tested positive for THC, the principal psychoactive compound in marijuana. The results are published in the latest issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Naloxone is a potentially life-saving drug commonly used to reverse opioid overdoses and can be injected as a liquid or delivered as a nasal spray.

Query plans will be available for purchase on the Clearinghouse website in fall 2019.

For many employers it can be a stressful and confusing time when an employee tests positive on a DOT mandated drug or alcohol test.  Does the employer now have to “DO” anything?  Must the employee be fired?  How long will the driver be out?  Can the driver be re-hired?  The key is to precisely follow the DOT regulations in order to handle the situation correctly and maintain regulatory compliance.