Pubdate: Fri, 31 Oct 2014
Source: Florida Today (Melbourne, FL)
Copyright: 2014 Florida Today
Contact:  http://www.floridatoday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/532
Author: Joel McPherson

USING MEDICAL POT WON'T PREVENT EMPLOYMENT

The writer of the recent letter, "Will job seekers using medical pot
be rejected?" claims that if Amendment 2 passes, "many job seekers
will fail" employer drug testing. Not true.

Florida Statute 440.102 governs employment drug testing and protects
people who use drugs for legitimate medical reasons. If there's a
"positive" test result, the lab hands the test results to a medical
review officer (MRO), a licensed physician who is responsible for
receiving and reviewing laboratory results generated by an employer's
drug testing program and evaluating medical explanations for those
results.

The MRO meets in person with the individual rendering a positive test
sample to evaluate reasons for finding prohibited substances. Many
medications contain drugs sought in drug testing. If the MRO finds
prescriptions or proper explanation for these substances, the employer
is given a "negative" test result for that sample.

Test results are not given to the employer before MRO review.
Employers may not ask about test results before the MRO review. If the
MRO is satisfied with the explanation, the test is reported as
"negative" and the employer receives no additional
information.

"Unemployable marijuana users," referenced in the letter, cannot refer
to users of medical marijuana as described in proposed Amendment 2.

Joel McPherson

Merritt Island
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MAP posted-by: Matt