RICOVR Healthcare

03/08/2024

Did you see Jim Wilson’s article on Nutrien suspending its union employee Lee Peppers, who tested positive on a random drug test?

Mr. Pepper’s doctor told his patient to smoke pot before bed to help him sleep, and it would not affect his performance the following day. This opinion conflicts with Nutriens doctors citing that the ma*****na would take 24 hours to clear his system.

According to the peer-reviewed literature, the two doctors are both correct. Ma*****na metabolism is different for each person, but it can take 24 hours for the parent drug to break down into inactive metabolites. However, reports show that impairment from smoking and va**ng w**d can last about 4.5 hours, and edibles can last up to 10 hours. Therefore, Lee’s doctor is also correct because he talked about impairment. A 3rd doctor and independent medical examiner will review the tests and decide.

This case shows how two physicians can have differing opinions and the “unsettled debate over the safe use of cannabis.” Even if an objective drug test is done correctly, its interpretation can vary. This is why a drug test alone may not be sufficient, and often, best practice guidelines combine a cannabis drug test with a drug recognition expert (DRE) who conducts an in-person assessment of the signs and symptoms to help confirm impairment.

We’ll continue to track this case and wish all the best for Nutrien and Lee Pepper. *****na

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03/05/2024

A great article by Hannah Cho reminds job seekers to be mindful of the consequences of failing a drug test screen in this tight job market. Employer drug testing is widespread across industries, and she states, “Drug use can impair an individual’s ability to perform their duties safely and effectively, leading to increased accidents, absenteeism, and lower productivity.”

The article explains how ma*****na, although legalized in many states, remains the most tested substance. She provides an excellent overview of the different tests, clarifying that oral fluid or saliva tests detect recent use, whereas urine detects past use.

The chart shows the number of published jobs in each US location this month and how the pre-employment testing requirement has dramatically reduced to lower than 2% of all jobs posted. Although fewer employers are performing pre-employment tests, many are performing random testing to ensure a safe workplace. Also, with more cost-effective and more accessible testing methods, employers are conducting upon-suspicion and post-accident testing more effectively.

Lastly, it is refreshing that published articles like this are becoming more accessible, equipping employees with the science to make more informed decisions. Nice job!

Join the conversation and let us know if your company still requires pre-employment tests and your thoughts about employer-sponsored drug tests at your company.

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02/29/2024

Did you know, according to this New Frontier Data report, that an estimated 54 million U.S. adults will consume cannabis in 2023 across both legal and unregulated markets? This will leap to 69 million U.S. consumers by 2030! The report has some great stats and shows how quickly the industry is changing.

Stay safe out on this leap day & year, and reach out to us to Modernize your Workplace with better Cannabis Employment Testing. For more cannabis statistics, please click the link to download the report. https://hubs.ly/Q02mNQ2p0

02/22/2024

The article published yesterday by Kyle Jagger reported that the Justice Department, Frances Scott, a physical scientists at the National Institute of Justice Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences under the DOJ challenged Cannabis testing. He said, "We may need better tests," and is supporting research into the development of new tests for Cannabis and alternative screening options.

At Ricovr Healthcare, we tend to agree that our industry should test for recent-use not past use but right now there is no test for impairment. If our community, including lawmakers and scientists can not agree on what blood, saliva, or urine level determines impairment then it is challenging to create a ma*****na impairment test. However, if you want a test that detects recent use then follow us and learn more about our Early Access Program. # *****na

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02/19/2024

Great news, today Ricovr Healthcare and our founder and CEO Dr. Himanshu Bhatia was honored and received the prestigious Interfaith Action Movement (IAM) Civil Rights Trailblazer Award. Governor Phil Murphy and his staff, along with Rev. Green announced the award. We are grateful to promote equity through our innovative products and initiatives. Dr. Bhatia, remarked, "At Ricovr Healthcare, we believe that fairness is not just a concept but a fundamental principle that drives our work every day.” Thank you again and click the links below to learn more.

Click the links to learn more.
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02/15/2024

Dani Blum from the New York times recently reported a great article on comparing different routes of ma*****na consumption. There is a lot of misinformation out there but the author discusses that many companies are claiming the benefits of edibles over smoking of va**ng. Physician experts state this claim is not that simple and has more nuance.

After smoking, the high occurs quickly whereas with edibles it takes over 30min to several hours to feel the effects due to the way cannabis is metabolized. Many users often do not feel the effects and take more and then the high feels very intense after a couple of hours. The author warns users to be careful with edibles especially while driving. New York Times *****na

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02/14/2024

The Virginia State Senate and House passed separate ma*****na sales bills yesterday. There were concerns with law enforcement groups but the two chambers are actively comparing the bills and will send one to Governor. Youngkin's office shortly.

The article by Ben Adlin suggests that ma*****na would be taxed and could bring in more $50M of state tax revenue during the first year. Delegate Krizek, who is sponsoring the bill mentioned that, "Now it’s time for the state’s $3 billion illegal cannabis market to have competition from a safe, tested and taxed product.”

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Virginia’s Senate has formally signed off on a proposal to legalize retail ma*****na sales in the commonwealth despite concerns raised by law enforcement groups that warn the harms from legal cannabis will outweigh those of alcohol. The Senate on Tuesday approved a sales bill from Sen. Aaron R. Ro...

02/09/2024

Recently, Sumathi Reddy from the The Wall Street Journal reported a well written piece this week reiterating that our bodies metabolize THC differently than alcohol where inhalation of cannabis can last 6-8 hours and edibles can impair people for 8-12 hours.

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She mentions a recent study by the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego, showed people should wait about 4.5 hours after smoking ma*****na to drive. Therefore, she suggests cannabis users to be careful out there and wait to drive because the active ingredient in ma*****na, the THC, has a longer impairment window than you may think.

At RICOVR Healthcare we agree that it is challenging to develop a reliable test that can detect recent-use that overlaps with this impairment window. This is why it has taken our team over 4 years to develop a reliable test. We suggest employers reach out to learn more about our Xaliva test by clicking the link below to take advantage of our Early Access Program. https://hubs.ly/Q02kwZZj0 *****na #

02/08/2024

This article by Khorri Atkinson in Bloomberg shows why employers should not simply outsource drug testing to their third party administer or drug testing partner. In this article, the Airgas employee took a legal h**p product for her liver cancer pain and tested positive for ma*****na during a random drug test. She asked for a retest because in her opinion the h**p may have caused a false positive test. The medical review officer told her that she tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (“THCA”) not delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”), which is the active ingredient in cannabis causing impairment. The employee retested the same sample using the same test and she was positive for "ma*****na" and the Airgas employee was terminated.

According to the Ohio court records, the 6th circuit court reversed the decision favoring the employee. One of the lessons for employers is to take the time to listen to their employees but also educate themselves on the types of drug tests currently on the market to determine the best drug test. We look forward to hearing your comments about the case and how your company would handle this situation.
reporter covering labor, employment, cannabis |
Washington Association of Black Journalists - WABJ , ,
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A recent federal appeals court ruling against Airgas USA LLC related to a disabled worker’s disputed positive drug test result sends a warning to companies about exercising due diligence before taking adverse employment actions, attorneys say.

02/07/2024

Our team is at MD&M West in Anaheim for the next couple of days. Let us know if you are around so we can connect. Meet our Founder, Dr. Bhatia and CTO, Guatam Batra as they continue building a groundbreaking saliva test and help us meet with partners to scale the technology. RICOVR Healthcare &M , , , ,

02/05/2024

Did you hear that the unemployment rate is 3.7% and 353,000 non farm jobs were added in January? This is good news for the US but makes it more challenging to hire new employees. Some reports say that it costs well over 1.3x a person’s salary or more $4-20K per employee.

We’ve been talking to many industry leaders on employee retention programs so reach out to learn new ways to retain talent by modernizing your testing methods.

https://hubs.ly/Q02jTF8M0

01/30/2024

Hi, did you see this recent NYT article that features former DEA agent Mr. Armour, who failed a drug test because he used CBD oil for chronic back pain and was fired? He battled for years, winning his case, and the DOJ rehired him. He plans to work out of the Houston office, and we tip our hats off for his perseverance. If only more companies and agencies knew about better testing methods, such as Xaliva testing, that could screen for the active ingredient in cannabis and detect recent use.

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