Berkeley CA Drug Testing

Berkeley, California - Drug Testing

Substance Abuse Trends and Statistics for the City of Berkeley

According to CrimeGrade.org, the city of Berkeley has earned an "F" for per-capita drug-related crimes. It falls into the 7th percentile for safety, meaning that only 7% of cities in the U.S are considered more dangerous, and 93% are considered safer. In the city's eastern neighborhoods, your chances of being a victim of a drug-related crime are 1 in 70. The southwest part of the city is generally considered safer. Here, your chances of being a victim are 1 in 194.

The city also has a fairly significant opioid problem. From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 to October 2021, there had been a total of over 170 opioid overdose deaths in Alameda County. There was a 40% increase from 2019 to 2020 alone.

Community Efforts to Address Drug Problems in Berkeley

Berkeley University Health Services provides a variety of resources to help reduce the potential harm that can come from recreational drug use. This includes resources for living substance-free including information about sober activities and meetups, recovery resources, and substance-free housing options on campus.

The Collegiate Recovery Program and PartySafe@Cal have also sponsored a Harm Reduction Expansion Project to address the risks of fentanyl use. Some of the project's initiatives include training resources and awareness education, Naloxone/Narcan distribution, and the distribution of low and no-cost fentanyl test strips.

Berkeley Expert Weighs in on Employment Drug Testing

While legal adult recreational use of cannabis in California has blurred the issue of employment drug testing, Berkeley-based employment attorney Paul Glusman confirms that California employers can still legally require employee drug tests. The supreme court ruled that drug testing does not violate an employee's privacy.

Until recently, the state of California did not provide any employee protection for the off-duty use of marijuana. However, on August 13, 2022, the California legislature passed Assembly Bill (AB) 2188. This prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee or job candidate based on their off-duty medical or recreational marijuana use, except for pre-employment drug testing.

It's important to note that the bill still allows employers to continue enforcing drug-free workplace policies and testing for marijuana impairment, as long as the tests are not focused on "non-psychoactive" chemicals in the body. In addition, employers can restrict employees from using, being impaired by, or possessing cannabis in the workplace.