Press Release: CI’s Eye on Legislation

DOT Update:
by Kym Kurey

It’s been several months since the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT's) revised drug-testing panel parameters went into effect, but since several clients have asked about it, we thought it would be worth another peek at the changes.

Effective January 1, 2018, the DOT changed the “opiates” category to “opioids” and added four semi-synthetic drugs (Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Oxymorphone, and Oxycodone) to the “opioids” group.

Brand names for the above include:  OxyContin®, Percodan®, Percocet®, Vicodin®, Lortab®, Norco®, Dilaudid®, and Exalgo®.

Confirmatory testing still includes Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, MDMA, and MDA.  To this group, the DOT added initial testing for Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and removed testing for Methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA).

The required “5 panel” drug screen will now include confirmation testing for 14 drugs, which is part of the confusion:

Marijuana (THC)
Cocaine
Amphetamines (Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, MDMA, MDA)
Opioids (Codeine, Morphine, 6-AM (heroin), Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Oxycodone, Oxymorphone)
Phencyclidine (PCP)

Important!  On the Chain of Custody Form (CCF), continue to check the 5-panel box:
“THC, COC, PCP, OPI, AMP”.

The revisions bring the DOT panel into alignment with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revised guidelines for Federal drug-testing programs for urine testing.

The final rule amends other aspects of the DOT’s processes as well, which can be found in their entirety on the DOT’s web site:
https://www.transportation.gov/odapc/frpubs

If you have further questions or are looking for a compliant background screening solution, the CI team is ready and waiting to help and would love to hear from you!

info@commercialinvestigationsllc.com
www.commercialinvestigationsllc.com