HR - Drugs & Alcohol

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has reclassified certain marijuana and marijuana-containing products to Schedule III controlled substances, which recognizes a drug’s potential legitimate medical use, a significant change in federal drug policy that could have implications for employers and work

Acting Attorney General Issues New DEA Order Reclassifying Some Marijuana Products as Schedule III Controlled Substances, Available by Prescription With the stroke of a pen, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a new “ final order ” on April 23, 2026, that reclassifies FDA-approved medication

In this podcast, Tae Phillips (Birmingham) sits down with Jennifer Pacicco (Philadelphia), Andrew Halverson (Lafayette/New Orleans), and Dennis Gardner (Houston) to examine President Trump’s December 2025 executive order directing the potential rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule I

The legal landscape for workplace drug testing is likely to see some significant changes in 2026. This article summarizes the shifts in federal and state policy, continuing and emerging challenges for employers, and what employers can do to be prepared in 2026.

Wait, Is Marijuana Legal? How Trump’s Executive Order on Marijuana May Impact the Workplace Just in time for the holidays, President Trump has issued an executive order that will be beloved by the budding marijuana industry: a directive to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to begin th

On December 18, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. This follows the Biden administration’s initial proposal to do so in April 2024.

Earlier this year, the DEA responded to President Biden’s directive to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. This pivotal change, if finalized, would reclassify marijuana as a drug with moderate to low potential for dependence, strictly for medical use

This Insight discusses what psilocybin is, how it is used, and various state and local laws that either decriminalize and/or legalize its use, or make the enforcement of its illegality a low priority. This Insight also addresses some steps employers can take if employees are “microdosing” psilocybin

The Department of Justice (DOJ) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in the Federal Register on May 21, 2024. If the rule is finalized, marijuana would be considered a drug with “moderate to l

Executive Summary: This is Part 4 of a series of Alerts exploring different facets of the ongoing opioid addiction crisis afflicting our country. Our initial Alert on June 12, 2023 outlined the big-picture issues associated with this epidemic. Our September 7, 2023 Alert (Part 1) addressed how to id

Welcome and thank you for joining us for this special edition of We get work™, live from Jackson Lewis’ Workplace Horizons 2024 from the Lotte New York Palace in New York City and the Wynn in Las Vegas. What follows are high level conversations on conference programs and why they were important topi

On April 30, 2024, following a months-long process, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance. This historic move—likely the most substantial change to federal drug policy in more than fifty years—would

With the arrival of the unofficial annual holiday known as “4/20,” employers can celebrate by reminding themselves of the state laws that could protect employees’ off-duty 4/20 celebrations.

Executive Summary: This is Part 3 of a series of Alerts exploring different facets of the ongoing opioid addiction crisis afflicting our country. Our initial Alert on June 12, 2023 outlined the big-picture issues associated with this epidemic. Our September 7, 2023 Alert (Part 1) addressed how to id

Dear Littler, I’m in charge of organizing our holiday party this year. To keep things civil, we’re limiting alcohol and reminding employees that although our state has legalized the recreational use of marijuana, there is to be no pot at the potluck. I figured now was a good

Executive Summary : This is the second of multiple Alerts exploring different facets of the ongoing opioid addiction crisis afflicting our country. Our June 12, 2023 Alert outlined the big-picture issues associated with this epidemic. Our September 7, 2023 Alert (Part 1) addressed how to identify a

This year has seen the federal approval of over-the-counter availability of naloxone — commonly known as brands Narcan and Evzio — which is used to counteract opioid overdoses and considered a lifesaving medication. As such, there is a push for employers to supply naloxone as part of workplace first

It is well known that opioid overdoses have occurred at epidemic levels in the United States for years. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioid overdose deaths have increased from 21,089 in 2010, to 47,600 in 2017, to more than 80,000 in 2021 and 2022.

“But I only had two beers.”