Why a Negative Test Result is Good Luck for Employees and Employers

Going green on St. Patrick’s Day¹ may have a different meaning in today’s era of cannabis legalization. But modern cannabis testing technology means employees who choose to legally consume cannabis during non-working hours no longer need to leave their test results up to luck. That’s because a cannabis breath test only detects recent use. So, a negative test result is more than good luck for employees and employers; it’s also sound science with stress-relieving capabilities.

FEELIN’ GREEN

More than 134 million adults² in the United States have access to legal cannabis. That means, on any given day, there are gainfully employed people reporting to work who have, at some point, consumed cannabis. The problem is zero-tolerance drug testing policies, and the conventional cannabis tests these policies often rely upon don’t account for this new legalized cannabis landscape.

The result is that good employees are “failing” cannabis tests, even if they have not used cannabis immediately before or during work. How is this happening? Because traditional cannabis tests like oral fluid, hair, and urine will provide positive results for days, weeks, and months after use.

So, employees who can legally consume cannabis on St. Patrick’s Day, or any other time, and aren’t reporting immediately to work often find themselves in stressful situations when undergoing a traditional cannabis test and hoping the “Luck of the Irish” will kick in when their drug test result arrives.

But no employee or employer needs to feel lucky a drug test is negative, especially when there will be new technology and sound science to take the stress and guesswork out of the entire process.

MORE THAN A LUCKY CHARM

Positive results from conventional cannabis tests may reflect an employee’s legal choice to consume cannabis. But it is not a fair or equal measure if employees are using cannabis at work. The only way to determine that is to detect recent use.

The HOUND^® CANNABIS BREATHALYZER measures THC in breath (the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis), where it remains for just a few hours. The science behind the Hound^® solution’s novel breath testing technology demonstrates how it measures the presence of THC and isolates recent cannabis use. Employees and employers will have objective, instrument-read results that virtually eliminate the possibility of biased interpretation; no luck and no stress involved.

Traditional cannabis tests have a tough time doing this, and that’s one of the reasons why so many employees feel stress and anxiety working for companies that continue to uphold zero-tolerance drug testing policies that rely heavily on those types of testing methods.

“Employers wouldn’t take action on positive test results for alcohol if an employee had consumed two martinis two days prior to the test,” says Nina French, President of Employer + Law Enforcement Solutions at Hound Labs, Inc.

It’s also one of the main reasons qualified job candidates are turning down job offers³ and actively searching for companies that prioritize fair drug testing programs and policies. In other words, employees want to work for companies that support their right to legally consume cannabis, and use modern technology that is safe, fair, accurate, and reliable.

THE REAL POT OF GOLD

Of course, “it’s not really ‘luck’ that generates negative test results, but rather robust policies and corporate culture that supports these results,” says Jaime Feinberg, Vice President of Partnerships for Insurance, Risk, + Safety at Hound Labs, Inc.

If an employer’s drug testing policy clearly outlines that they test for recent use and use the HOUND^® CANNABIS BREATHALYZER to do so, then employees know exactly how a specimen is collected, analyzed, and reported. Employees no longer need to wonder if they’ll get lucky to pass a drug test if they smoked cannabis two weeks ago while off-duty.

Finally, employers may not have to wait as long to get lucky hiring qualified candidates. Breath testing allows employers to continue workplace drug testing – an effective risk mitigation tool and a proven method of deterring and detecting drug use in the workplace – while attracting and retaining qualified employees.

For more information about the science of the ultra-sensitive HOUND^® CANNABIS BREATHALYZER, click here.