By Greta Walsh, Consultant
Prevention Starts Before the Test: The Employer’s Role in a Drug-Free Workplace
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October is recognized nationally as a time to raise awareness about substance use prevention, culminating in Red Ribbon Week, observed October 23–31. Red Ribbon Week is the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention awareness program and encourages individuals, families, schools, and communities to increase awareness of the harmful effects of drug misuse and promote healthy, drug-free lifestyles.
While prevention campaigns are often associated with schools, families, and communities, substance use prevention also has an important place in the workplace. Employers have an opportunity to reinforce expectations, educate employees, identify potential problems, and promote a safer and healthier work environment.
For employers, workplace drug use prevention does not begin when an employee receives a positive drug test result. Effective prevention starts much earlier with clear policies, employee education, supervisor training, consistent procedures, and a well-designed workplace drug testing program.
Workplace Substance Use Remains a Concern for Employers
Recent workplace drug testing data demonstrate why substance use prevention continues to matter to employers.
According to the 2026 Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™, overall urine drug test positivity in the general U.S. workforce was 4.3% in 2025, remaining above 4% for more than a decade. Marijuana continued to account for a significant portion of positive results. General workforce marijuana positivity reached 4.4% for urine testing, 11.1% for oral fluid testing, and 15.1% for hair testing.
Hair testing data were particularly notable. Overall hair drug test positivity in the general U.S. workforce reached 19.1% in 2025, compared with 13.1% in 2021. Quest noted that hair testing provides a longer detection window than urine or oral fluid testing and can provide insight into recurring patterns of drug use.
These findings reinforce an important point for employers: changing attitudes and laws surrounding certain substances have not eliminated workplace drug use. Prevention, safety, and clear workplace expectations remain relevant.
Drug Testing Can Be Part of a Workplace Prevention Strategy
Workplace drug testing is often viewed primarily as a way to identify drug use. However, an effective drug testing program can also serve a broader preventive purpose.
A clearly communicated drug testing policy establishes expectations before a problem occurs. Employees understand what conduct is prohibited, when testing may occur, and what consequences may follow a policy violation. Testing can also reinforce an employer’s commitment to maintaining a safe and productive workplace.
The importance employers place on safety is evident in Current Consulting Group’s 2025 Annual Employer Drug Testing Survey. When employers were asked about their leading reasons for establishing and maintaining a drug testing program, 78% identified promoting workplace safety, making it the most frequently cited reason.
Testing programs may include pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable-suspicion, return-to-duty, and follow-up testing, depending on applicable federal and state laws and the employer’s policy. Employers should ensure that the types of testing they conduct are appropriate for their workforce and legally permissible in the jurisdictions in which they operate.
Prevention Goes Beyond Drug Testing
Drug testing alone does not constitute a comprehensive workplace substance use prevention program. Employers should consider how testing works together with other components of their drug-free workplace efforts.
A strong program begins with a written policy that clearly communicates expectations and procedures. Policies should be reviewed regularly to account for changes in federal and state laws, testing technologies, workplace practices, and emerging drug-use trends.
Employee education is another important component. Employees should understand the organization’s policy, the potential workplace consequences of substance misuse, testing procedures, and resources available to employees who may need assistance.
Supervisor training is equally important, particularly when supervisors are responsible for recognizing and responding to potential workplace impairment. Supervisors should understand how to recognize possible signs and symptoms, make objective observations, document relevant facts, follow company procedures, and initiate the reasonable-suspicion process when appropriate. Their role is not to diagnose substance use or determine why an employee may be behaving unusually. Their responsibility is to recognize, document, and respond to observable workplace behavior in accordance with company policy.
Employers may also provide access to Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), treatment information, or other resources that support employees who seek assistance. Together, these components can create a program that combines prevention, accountability, safety, and support.
Marijuana Continues to Complicate Workplace Drug Use Prevention
Marijuana presents one of the most significant challenges for employers developing and maintaining drug-free workplace programs.
State legalization has changed public attitudes and created questions for employers about when marijuana testing is permitted, whether marijuana should remain on a testing panel, and how employers should respond to suspected impairment.
Current Consulting Group’s 28th Annual Drug Testing Industry Survey illustrates some of these challenges. Among drug testing providers surveyed in 2026, 58% reported that between 1% and 10% of their clients had removed marijuana from their drug testing panels during the previous 12 months. At the same time, 24% reported that none of their clients had done so.
The survey also found considerable uncertainty surrounding the potential rescheduling of marijuana. When asked what effect rescheduling marijuana as a Schedule III controlled substance would have on drug testing overall, 28% predicted that many employers would stop testing for marijuana, while 36% believed some employers, but not many, would stop. Another 19% expected little to no effect, while 17% said they did not know but were receiving questions from clients about what rescheduling would mean.
Regardless of changing marijuana laws, employers still have an interest in preventing workplace impairment and protecting employees and the public. Employers should review applicable state and federal requirements before making changes to marijuana testing policies and ensure supervisors understand how to respond to observable signs of possible impairment rather than relying on assumptions about off-duty marijuana use.
Red Ribbon Week Is an Opportunity to Reinforce Prevention
Red Ribbon Week is observed annually from October 23–31 and highlights the importance of living a drug-free life. The campaign began following the 1985 death of Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena and has grown into a nationwide drug prevention awareness initiative.
Although much of Red Ribbon Week traditionally focuses on youth, families, schools, and communities, employers can also use the occasion to reinforce workplace drug use prevention.
Organizations might use October and Red Ribbon Week to remind employees about their drug-free workplace policy, provide information about available assistance resources, refresh supervisor reasonable-suspicion training, review testing procedures, or simply communicate the organization’s commitment to maintaining a safe workplace.
The goal does not have to be a major campaign. Prevention can begin with making sure employees and supervisors understand the organization’s expectations and know what to do when a substance-related concern arises.
Prevention Is an Ongoing Commitment
Red Ribbon Week provides timely reminders about the importance of preventing substance misuse before it causes harm. For employers, however, workplace drug use prevention should not be limited to one week or one month of the year.
A comprehensive drug-free workplace program combines clear policies, appropriate drug testing, employee education, trained supervisors, consistent procedures, and access to support resources. As drug-use trends, marijuana laws, testing technologies, and workplace expectations continue to change, employers should periodically evaluate whether their programs remain current, compliant, and effective.
Prevention starts long before a drug test is administered. By establishing clear expectations and giving employees and supervisors the information and resources they need, employers can make workplace drug use prevention an ongoing part of their commitment to safety.
To learn more about how Current Consulting Group can help your organization strengthen its workplace drug use prevention efforts through effective drug-free workplace policies, drug testing programs, and supervisor training, visit Current Consulting Group or contact info@currentconsultinggroup.com.
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