If 2025 was the year of awareness, 2026 will be the year of accountability.
Across industries, from construction and energy to healthcare and public service, substance use patterns are changing, and so are employer responsibilities. Cannabis normalization, new synthetic drugs, shifting attitudes toward best practices, and more options in testing are reshaping the landscape of workplace safety faster than ever before.
Here are five emerging trends employers need to understand as we progress through 2026.
1. Usage Trends for Cannabis: No Longer as Obvious
Legalization has led to an increasing number and variety of products and associated methods of consumption, often less obvious or ‘hidden’ in the workplace.
Many of us associate use solely with the “skunky” smell of smoked cannabis. From our most recent data, we know that vaping, gummies and other edibles, cannabis-infused drinks, and additional creative options for consumption make detection much more difficult. Because there’s no odour, methods of determining use, particularly behavioural observations, become even more important.
Several additional concerns with use include increased prevalence of daily use and high-potency products (up to 95%THC), negative health outcomes including dependence (yes – a known fact for 20+ years), psychosis-linked episodes and hyperemesis syndrome (severe and uncontrolled vomiting).
Despite all the above, it seems counterintuitive that many employers are considering reducing or eliminating cannabis testing. This is a time when testing is more important than ever.
It’s critical to ensure your supervisor training includes how to identify these changes in use. What’s often missed or not valued is the importance of providing education to all employees – an integral and essential step in creating a safer, healthier workplace.
2. Oral Fluid Testing Becomes the Norm
Oral fluid testing is becoming better known and accepted, and will continue to replace urine as the preferred method for workplace drug testing.
Why? Because it reflects real-time use and safety risk, not historical behaviour. It’s observable, less invasive, gender-neutral, more defensible, and widely viewed by employees as fairer and less “icky”.
Employers are recognizing that fairness and science can coexist, and that’s transforming safety culture. A Nova Scotia case study found that adopting oral fluid testing led to more open conversations about use, increased voluntary disclosure, and overall acceptance of the testing process.
3. Multi-Substance Use: The Hidden Threat
While alcohol and cannabis get most of the attention, the real risk lies in concurrent use, the combination of substances that amplify safety risk.
Benzodiazepines (e.g., Valium®, prescription stimulants (e.g., Ritalin®), energy drinks, over-the-counter sedatives (e.g., Gravol™), and unregulated products such as kratom or xylazine are increasingly appearing in toxicology data. Labs which conduct workplace drug testing are noticing a dramatic increase in multiple substance use. These combinations can cause unpredictable, sometimes life-threatening effects, even at low doses.
For employers, this means the focus must shift from detecting one substance to recognizing patterns of behaviour and ensuring employees have access to science-based education and support.
4. Education Over Punishment: The Focus on “Care”
A growing number of employers are rethinking their approach to managing substance use: balancing discipline with prevention and education.
This isn’t about being lenient; it’s about being safe and effective. Discipline can often appear to be prioritized, with safety a secondary component. Supervisors are being trained to identify changes in behaviour, start difficult conversations, and guide workers toward help, where appropriate, rather than discipline.
This proactive approach fosters trust, retention, and long-term safety. In construction, for example, education has proven far more effective than reactive testing alone. As one safety leader put it, “Investing in your people means investing in awareness.”
5. Global Alignment: Fairness Through Drug Testing Standardization
Beyond Canada, international collaboration is reshaping the drug testing landscape.
Through educational initiatives by the European Workplace Drug Testing Society (EWDTS), the International Association of Medical Review Officers (IAMRO), and others, leaders worldwide are working toward consistent, ethical standards that prioritize scientific integrity and fairness.
This evolution means employers can expect more standardized frameworks globally, ensuring testing programs are both defensible and fair across jurisdictions.
Looking Ahead: Awareness Isn’t Enough
Employers in 2026 will need to demonstrate that their policies, education programs, and testing practices are consistent, defensible, and fair. This requires partnership among leadership, unions, employees, and credible subject-matter experts.
As substance use realities evolve, one principle remains constant: safety is everyone’s responsibility, and it starts with awareness, fairness, and action.
“If knowing is half the battle, action is the second half.” – Jim Kwik
If your organization is reviewing its workplace substance use strategy for 2026, start with education and fairness. Contact me to learn how to align your policies, programs, and people for a safer, healthier workplace.