"Workers with substance use challenges should be treated with
compassion, dignity and respect." 
#WESUP

Know Your Rights: Alcohol, Drugs & Work If your employer or regulatory body suspects that you use alcohol, or other drugs (including outside of the workplace and including prescribed medications), or they find out that you have been diagnosed with “substance use disorder," you can be subjected to significant long-term professional, personal and financial consequences- even if the suspicions are unfounded or your substance use has never impacted the workplace. If allegations have been made against you, or if you are considering asking for help with substance use related challenges, please protect yourself by taking the following steps before disclosing any information to anyone or deciding what to do next. You have rights that may not have been communicated to you. It's best to become as informed as possible before making any decisions. DO: Read the information on our website. Contact one of our volunteer Peer Navigators. Consult with a lawyer who specializes in employment law. DO NOT: Do NOT disclose any information to your employer, union, regulatory body, or insurance provider about ANY past or present use of alcohol or other drugs (legal / illegal/ prescribed / non-prescribed). Do NOT disclose your occupation to any health care provider that has knowledge of your substance use (regardless of how minimal the substance use may be.) Do NOT agree to undergo an Independent Medical Exam (IME). Do NOT sign a contract that mandates addiction treatment, drug testing or monitoring. Do NOT voluntarily suspend or surrender any professional license that you may hold. Do NOT go to work if your ability to work safely is affected by substance use. Our recommendations are based on the lived experiences of the members of our peer led non-profit organization. We support our peers who have been subjected to harmful workplace substance use policy, and we advocate for policy change. We collaborate with labour and human rights lawyers, researchers, drug policy experts, clinicians and drug user activist groups. If you have already been subjected to a harmful workplace substance use policy, there are still actions that you can take to mitigate the harm and protect yourself and your livelihood. If you are using drugs from the unregulated drug market, please don’t use them alone. Always carry Naloxone.