The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently announced that it is requesting public comment on the possible addition of fentanyl to the urine and oral fluid analyte tables used for federal workplace drug testing programs.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but 50-100 times more potent. Originally developed as a pharmaceutical painkiller, illicitly manufactured fentanyl is now being mixed with heroin, cocaine and other drugs, often without the user's knowledge. This has led to a dramatic increase in overdose deaths involving fentanyl across the United States.

SAMHSA oversees the mandatory guidelines for federal workplace drug testing programs. These guidelines include procedures for specimen collection, laboratory analysis, and result reporting. The guidelines also contain tables of the analytes and cutoffs that certified laboratories test for when performing drug tests on urine and oral fluid specimens.

SAMHSA is considering adding fentanyl and various fentanyl analogs to the list of substances that laboratories would test for in urine and oral fluid samples. The purpose would be to allow better detection of illicit fentanyl use, rather than just prescription fentanyl.

Proponents argue that adding fentanyl testing would help identify federal employees who are illegally using these dangerous synthetic opioids, potentially saving lives by getting those individuals into treatment. However, opponents counter that the high cost of testing for fentanyl may not be justified based on current rates of fentanyl use among federal employees specifically.

SAMHSA emphasizes that they are only seeking comments on this proposal at this point, and have not yet decided whether to officially add fentanyl to the federal workplace testing program analyte tables. The public comment period will be open until January 17, 2023. Interested parties can submit electronic comments identified by docket number SAMHSA-2017-0001 via the federal eRulemaking portal.

References:

https://www.samhsa.gov/workplace/drug-testing

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/10/17/2023-22797/notice-of-meeting

https://www.samhsa.gov/workplace/drug-testing/mandatory-guidelines-federal-workplace-drug-testing-programs