When the legalization of marijuana was occurring, there was a significant concern in various industries. The mining industry was no different. Mining operators across the North American market did not welcome the new approval from the federal government across Canada. They watched as each province developed its internal regulatory rules for the sale and consumption of marijuana. As the legalization came to fruition, mining operators did not make any changes to their current programs. They watched with interest if they would see a spike in the number of positive cases within their operations. With no empirical data to support this statement, it appeared to have been a slight increase, but most employees of mining operations continued as if the legalization did not occur. It was more on the pre-access cases that seemed to increase, not significantly, and soon tapered off to pre-legalization levels.
Many operators have experienced the loss of a long-term employee due to substance abuse due after testing non-negative for a post-incident or reasonable suspicion test. This can be devastating for the organization due to the significant loss of experience the operations would lose from a longer-term employee testing positive for marijuana, which may or may not be a substance abuse issue. It just happened to be in their system many days after engaging in a legal substance as a way to relax or unwind with friends and family, similar to a sharing a cold beer. The difference is in the duration the product stays in the system.
Most mining operators also started to look for updates and advancements in testing methods, as marijuana is a long-lasting molecule in the body, looking towards improving what constitutes impaired. Unlike alcohol, a quick breathalyzer where you are aware of what your levels are, there are no tests currently on the market that can provide that same data point to illustrate when someone is still under the influence.
Industry has started to rely on the education side of drug use for employees. The training involves understanding drugs and the effects of using it and remaining in their system. Workers need to understand that even though the use of marijuana is legal, it can remain in their system and show up in a potential drug and alcohol test. Managers are starting to be trained in responsible suspicion training so they can be aware of marijuana usage in the workplace.
Looking deeper into substance abuse in the workplace is what many operations are doing now—looking not only at the alcohol and drug programs, but looking toward “fit for duty”. As an operator, you need employees who are fit and ready to work. This means well rested, mentally attuned to the work, and not impaired by other chemicals (alcohol, narcotics, or prescriptions). These programs lead to better programs being developed around fatigue management, mental health, and substance abuse support programs. Many mining operators focus on safety as a critical matrix to the success of their operation. Safety success leads to higher performance from your workforce along with employees who stay with the company longer.
The additional programs related to education and training are a key factor in keeping the workplace safe, but also reduces confusion regarding what it means to have legalized marijuana and the impact on workers if they should test positive. Industries have stayed the course of zero tolerance for marijuana or other illicit substances. Education and training for the worker is important, but the key is to train the supervision in reasonable suspicion, post-incident testing protocols, how to recognize paraphernalia, condition of impairment, change in behaviour, and so forth. Many employees have expressed their frustration after a positive test as it was a one-time thing, or they didn’t think it should be an issue two weeks later. As operations continue to navigate the legalization of marijuana issues, we all watch to see if testing for impairedness for marijuana will be developed that works similar to an alcohol breathalyzer.
