Impairment Detection is a Powerful Deterrent
Cannabis Impairment Detection is rapidly replacing traditional chemical drug testing as a deterrent. Let’s find out why.
As cannabis legalization expands across the United States and beyond, employers and policymakers face a growing challenge: how to ensure safety without infringing on individual rights.
Traditional (chemical) drug testing methods, especially those focusing on delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels, are increasingly seen as outdated and ineffective for workplace safety. In their place, impairment detection technologies and protocols are emerging as the new standard for promoting deterrence, safety and accountability in real time.
Traditional drug testing often fails as a deterrent because it is both infrequent and disconnected from actual job performance. Employees may learn to "beat the test" or feel resentful when punished for off-duty behavior.This is especially problematic in safety-sensitive sectors. For example, a construction worker who smoked cannabis three nights ago may test positive, while posing zero risk to job safety.
In places with legal access to marijuana, employers are dropping THC testing in order to hire and retain workers, and to appease unions. Without impairment detection, this leaves a workplace totally exposed to marijuana impairment related risk.
Employers are increasingly realizing that testing for the wrong thing—use rather than performance—undermines their own goals. The goal is workplace safety, so they need to test for fitness for duty, not past use.
What’s driving this Change?
There are many factors that are forcing employers’ hands with respect to re-evaluating chemical drug testing for THC. The fact that approximately 23% of Americans have used the substance in the last year should be all the summary that’s needed though. Employers have to learn to safely employ cannabis users, but safety is often compromised in favor of expediency in hiring. That’s leading to the phenomenon of employers dropping THC testing with no impairment test to replace it.
The chart below shows the percentage of companies in several industries that have removed THC testing from their drug panels.
(Data Source: Quest Diagnostics, Current Consulting Group, SHRM, 2022)
While drug testing in legal cannabis states can still be a deterrent due to concerns about job security and workplace safety, the legal landscape is shifting. Employers are increasingly needing to re-evaluate their drug testing policies and consider the evolving state laws regarding employee protections and the limitations of current drug tests in determining actual impairment.
The Legalization and Normalization of Cannabis Use
In the past, drug testing served as a cultural gatekeeper—keeping drug users out of jobs altogether. Today, this approach is out of step with reality.
As of 2025, 24 U.S. states have legalized recreational cannabis, while 40 now allow medical use. Internationally, countries like Canada, Germany, and parts of South America and Europe have followed suit. With cannabis now normalized for many adults, workplace policies are under pressure to evolve.
Traditional drug tests can detect cannabis use days or even weeks after consumption, long after any impairment has faded. This has led to increased litigation and employee dissatisfaction, especially in regions that protect off-duty use.
Key Stat:
“More than 50% of U.S. employers report reevaluating drug policies in response to changing cannabis laws.”
Employers have a responsibility to their employees to maintain a safe work environment. A work environment with on the job cannabis use and impairment is obviously unsafe, so employers are in increasingly risk legal positions. So, what are they to do?
Impairment Detection Technology (IDT) benefits go beyond Deterrence
Unlike THC testing, impairment detection and deterrence align with employee behavior and accountability to produce safe work environments:
IDT encourages employees to show up fit to work, rather than unrealistically (in some cases illegally) forcing them to avoid cannabis entirely—even in legal, off-duty contexts.
IDT creates a culture of performance, trust and safety, rather than surveillance and punishment.
IDT reduces false positives and unnecessary HR actions, helping companies retain good workers, even those who use marijuana.
When employees know that real-time performance—not past choices—will determine their status, the deterrent becomes immediate, reasonable and fair. That’s more motivating than fearing a drug test that might punish legal and responsible behavior.
Case in Point: Use of Gaize leads to 80% Reduction in Reasonable Suspicion
In fields like transportation, construction, manufacturing, and logistics, the move toward impairment detection as a deterrent is especially important. By encouraging accountability and responsible use many problems down the line can be avoided altogether.
See how one Gaize customer reported an 80% decrease in reasonable suspicion after deploying Gaize:
IDT Benefits to Legal Compliance and Competitive Advantage – Being Proactive with your Drug Policy
Beyond safety, companies that adopt impairment detection are staying ahead of regulatory change. These changes are already happening in states like California and New Jersey, which have impairment language in their laws already. Many other states are considering following suit:
Some states now prohibit employment discrimination based solely on THC metabolites.
Impairment-focused policies are more defensible in court and better aligned with modern labor law.
Forward-thinking employers also gain a competitive edge in recruitment and retention by offering more fair and respectful policies.
Impairment Detection as a Deterrent has Safety and Business Benefits
Marijuana impairment detection technology helps companies reduce risk and maintain productivity by focusing on real-time performance rather than past drug use. Here’s how it contributes to deterrence, safety, and operational efficiency:
1. Reduces Safety Risks
Immediate identification of impairment before unsafe things happen: Technologies like Gaize can quickly identify if a worker is currently impaired, helping to prevent accidents—especially in safety-sensitive roles.
Targeted response: Focusing on active impairment on the job reduces false positives and unnecessary disciplinary action.
2. Maintains and Boosts Productivity
Focus on current performance: Employees aren't penalized for legal, off-duty cannabis use that has no effect on job performance.
Fewer false suspensions or terminations: Avoids productivity losses due to unnecessary employee downtime or turnover.
3. Enhances Legal and Regulatory Compliance
Adapts to evolving laws: Helps employers stay compliant with regulations that restrict employment actions based solely on THC presence.
Supports defensible workplace policies: Provides evidence that actions were taken to ensure safety, not to police lifestyle choices.
4. Strengthens Workplace Culture and Fairness
Objective assessments: Based on real-time impairment indicators.
Trust and transparency: Employees know they’re being judged on their current state, improving policy trust.
5. Supports Physical and Mental Health
Stigma reduction: A supportive, non-punitive approach fosters openness and reduces the stigma around seeking help.
Data insights: Data can help identify trends and improve workforce health and scheduling.
The Future of Workplace Safety Is Now – Don’t wait
Employers who embrace this shift aren’t just mitigating risk—they’re building trust with their employees, improving safety, and leading the future of workplace wellness.
Even in non-legal cannabis states, impairment detection is not about punishing substance use—it’s about protecting lives, minimizing risk, and supporting safe and productive workplaces. In fact, about 35% of Gaize’s customers are in states without legal access to cannabis.
Fairness in the Workplace
Impairment detection as a deterrent fosters a more inclusive and ethically sound workplace culture. It avoids punishing employees for legal, off-hours use and instead focuses on what really matters: job performance and safety.
By removing moral judgments and emphasizing real-time ability, impairment detection policies level the playing field.
Looking Ahead: A Performance-Based Future
In the coming years, we can expect:
Widespread adoption of impairment detection technology
Integration of lifestyle choices, like cannabis use, into routine digital health assessments
Greater legal foundations around impairment testing, including more states including impairment language in their laws
This is a workplace cultural reset. One that reorients workplace policy around function, not fear.
Recommendations for companies seeking to lead on Impairment Detection Technology
The conversation around cannabis and the workplace is no longer about "if" if was used but about "when" - the critical question in impairment. How do we balance freedom with safety? How do we respect privacy while maintaining productivity? How do we identify impairment before bad things happen? `The answer lies in smart, science-backed impairment detection tools that focus on what people can do today—not what they did last weekend.
Ask your insurer about implementing impairment detection, they may help pay for it!
Review your policy to determine how impairment detection can reduce reasonable suspicion and post incident productivity loss
Contact Gaize for an informative introductory call to learn about Impairment Detection as a deterrent.
References
Gallup (2023). "Support for Legal Marijuana Holds at Record High."
SAMHSA (2022). Drug-Free Workplace Toolkit.
Huestis, M. A. (2007). "Human Cannabinoid Pharmacokinetics." Chemistry & Biodiversity, 4(8), 1770–1804.
SHRM (2024). "Evolving Cannabis Policies in the Workplace."
National Safety Council (2023). Impairment at Work: New Guidelines for Employers.
Current Consulting Group’s 25th Annual Drug Testing Industry Survey
