Cansford Laboratories, UK  |  Alex Swann  | 09 December 2020

Employers have a duty to protect their employees from injury and that includes the being under the influence or using substance while on the job.  Cansford Labs developed a great guide for employers (UK) that explains drug testing and answers frequently asked questions.

Read the Guide

Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy  |  Alison M. Devlin & Daniel Wight  |  21 April 2020

ABSTRACT The San Patrignano drug recovery community, Italy, is regarded as one of the most successful in the world. However, if this model is to be transferred to other countries, it is necessary to clarify its underlying mechanisms and how far their success is context dependent. This qualitative study investigated these features of the San Patrignano model. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with six key stakeholders and 10 days’ observational field notes. Data were synthesised...

Journal of Social Work Practice in Addictions | Penelope Yates | 2014

This interesting paper was referenced in an earlier post on this forum regarding San Patrignano's program and approach to substance abuse treatment and recovery. 

One key component of the program provides residents with educational opportunities and job skills training through onsite businesses and collaborations with various industries all in a drug-free living and working  environment. 

Read the paper

Brought to you from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Listen First is a program for parents promoting social and emotional learning as a foundation for science-based substance use prevention.

Providing resources such as through Listen First is a means that employers can support those employees' primary role as parents making them more engaged and productive workers. 

Check out the parent resources!

Abbott - Drug Safe Workplace Website | Knowledge & Insights Blog | September, 2021

Cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD, has spiked in popularity over the last few years. However, one consequence of a quick rise to fame is a great deal of misunderstanding, misinformation, and lingering questions about the substance.

What Is CBD and How is it Used?

CBD is a compound found in the cannabis plant, and it can be found in both hemp and marijuana. It has become extremely popular recently as a medical treatment for various ailments, most notably as an effective treatment for childhood...

Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions Blog | Pablo Bolaños

In the song made famous by the late recording artist Tom Petty, the storyteller compares marijuana use to romance, as he longs for a “Last dance with Mary Jane, one more time to kill the pain.” These lyrics echo the romanticized sentiment that many people still have today. Marijuana remains the most-used illicit substance in the US. Popular opinion about its low risks help to spread misinformation, myths, and drive the narrative that marijuana is safe.

According to the latest findings from the United Nations Office on Drugs...

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has provided UK employers with guidance on managing drug and alcohol misuse in the workplace and supporting their employees including policy development, training, and resources.

CIPD research found that health and wellness of workers was impacted by social isolation and financial stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and that there was a need for employers to become more connected with the problem.

CIPD has conducted research and developed a number of resources to assist employers address substance use.  Visit the CIPD...

The opioid overdose epidemic continues to claim lives across the U.S. with a record 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017. (This number represents 67.8% of the 70,237 overdose deaths from all drugs) [CDC 2018a]. More Americans now die every year from drug overdoses than in motor vehicle crashes [CDC 2016]. The crisis is taking an especially devastating toll on certain parts of the U.S. workforce. High rates of opioid overdose deaths have occurred in industries with high injury rates and physically demanding working conditions such as construction, mining, or fishing Massachusetts Department of...

Prescription opioid medications intended for pain management and prescription benzodiazepines for conditions such as anxiety or insomnia, when used alone or together, often have side effects that can affect workers’ health and safety. In addition, some occupational factors, such as work-related motor vehicle crashes, falls, other injuries and job stress, have the potential to increase the chances that a worker is given a prescription for an opioid or benzodiazepine [Kowalski-McGraw et al. 2017].

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed resources for improving...

Abbott - WorkDrugSafe Website| Knowledge & Insights Blog | August, 2021

Understanding the signs of substance abuse is essential to your workplace safety. In 2020 40% of adults reported struggling with mental health or substance use. As a group, nearly one third of Millennials have a behavioral health condition, with nearly one million insured Millennials diagnosed with substance use disorder in 2018. With more than one-in-three employees in the U.S. workforce now being Millennials, the makeup of the American workplace, as well as the problems employers face, is swiftly changing.

Please check out the resources document developed to accompany the Recovery Ready Workplace webinar!  

Get the Resources Sheet

"TRIPLE R, rehabilitation for recovery and reinsertion" and news about our international workshops.

https://www.sanpatrignano.org/en/

https://www.sanpatrignano.org/en/about-us/triple-r-rehabilitation-for-recovery-and-reinsertion/

https://www.sanpatrignano.org/en/about-us/international-workshop-at-san-patrignano/

This one is a link to researches made by Universities about San Patrignano, to pages with summaries of these sociological studies

 https://www.sanpatrignano.org/en/about-us/sociological-research/

At this link yu can download the full text of one of them...

Abbott - WorkDrugSafe Website| Knowledge & Insights Blog | March 1, 2021

Substance abuse, especially marijuana and prescription drugs, is increasing to epidemic levels. So why are fewer and fewer employers conducting pre-employment drug testing? Quite simply, they fail to properly recognize the benefits.

According to a recent study, only 57% of employers conduct pre-employment drug testing of all job candidates, while 29% conduct no drug testing on applicants. However, the benefits of pre-employment drug testing are just as applicable today as they have always been. In fact, with the...

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) substance use prevention campaign helps parents and caregivers start talking to their children early about the dangers of alcohol and other drugs.

Since most parents work, this is a perfect in-house campaign resource for companies to educate their parent workers on talking to their children about not using alcohol and drugs. This campaign is complementary to existing drug-free workplace programs and provides them with enhanced content and guidance on having important conversations with their children, ever...

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and specifically, the National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory, is pleased to fulfill the charge of the 21st Century Cures Act to disseminate information on evidence-based practices (EBPs) and service delivery models to prevent substance misuse and help individuals with substance use disorders (SUD), serious mental illnesses (SMI), and serious emotional disturbances (SED) get the treatment and support that they need.

An important focus for SAMHSA is supporting sustained recovery from SUD through...

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Prescription Drug Toolkit and Fact Sheets from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides guidance related to counseling, referrals, and follow-up services that EAPs can offer employees whose substance misuse has affected their workplace environment. 

The Toolkit also shares insight for employers about preventing substance misuse and maintaining professional standards. These materials describe the ways in which EAPs provide alternatives to prescription drugs, workplace drug misuse and relapse prevention...

Science proves that being warm, loving, and responsive are some of the most important actions parents can take to help their children’s development. Physical affection has actual health and developmental benefits that last throughout their childhood and adulthood.

Working parents that are deeply connected with their children through affection and active listening, for example, are better able to deliver a prevention message of avoiding drug and alcohol use.

THE SCIENCE OF CARE
www.unodc.org/listenfirst
Listen First, a UNODC initiative to support happy,healthy and nurturing...

Drug and Alcohol Research Connections | August 2018 | Professor Ann Roche, Ms. Victoria Kostadinov, and Associate Professor Ken Pidd, The National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (Australia)

AOD-related stigma is often present in a variety of settings and contexts, including the workplace. It is, however, not always recognised or even well understood. Despite this, AOD-related stigma at work is ubiquitous, disproportionate, and profoundly harmful on many levels. Its effects range from overt discrimination in hiring practices to marginalisation and exclusion from full...

Knowing what to do when encountering an employee with a suspected substance use issue can be confusing and perhaps even shocking.  Knowing the signs and symptoms of substance use, the explicit requirements of the company’s drug-free workplace policy, the company’s procedures to attend to the behavioral concerns, and the resources available to help the employee are key to confidently handling the situation.

Learn about one organization’s perspective here

According to the 2021 World Drug Report, approximately 275 million people used drugs worldwide in the last year, while over 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders. Globally, only 1 in 7 people receive the treatment they need.

In the United States alone, the estimated cost of drug abuse, including illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco—is more than $740 billion a year and growing, according to data reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

 Of this figure, more than $120 billion per year in lost productivity, according to The National Drug Intelligence Center...