Should NPS be included in workplace drug testing?

By authors:  Alberto Salomone1,2, Joseph J. Palamar3, Marco Vincenti1,2

1 Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Torino, Turin, Italy

2 Centro Regionale Antidoping e di Tossicologia “A. Bertinaria”, Orbassano, Turin, Italy

3 New York University School of Medicine, Department of Population Health, New York, NY, USA

Published in Drug Test Anal. February 2020.

In this interesting paper, the authors share information on the impact of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) on workplace drug testing (WDT).  Testing panels including NPS were previously not readily available in the context of workplace. However, that has seemed to have taken a turn with the proliferation in recent years of new substances in this category and technology advances that make the testing more reasonably priced and effective.  Over the years, NPS seems to have become the drugs of choice for workers trying to avoid the drugs that are common in WDT programs.

"...It is increasingly evident that many of the new substances available in recent years may represent a serious threat to employee health and the maintenance of a safe workplace."