12 NCAC 09C .0310         AGENCY REPORTING OF DRUG SCREENING RESULTS

(a)  Every law enforcement officer shall produce a negative result on a drug screen administered according to the following specifications:

(1)           the drug screen shall be a urine test consisting of an initial screening test using an immunoassay method and a confirmatory test on an initial positive result using a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or other initial and confirmatory tests authorized or mandated by the Department of Health and Human Services for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs;

(2)           a chain of custody shall be maintained on the specimen from collection to the eventual discarding of the specimen. If the specimen is handled only by a medical professional or a third party provider and the laboratory utilizes federally mandated chain of custody procedures, then the agency does not need an inter-agency chain of custody procedure. If agency staff will be handling the urine specimen at any point, then agency staff shall document the collection, storage, and processing of the specimen for testing purposes.

(3)           the drug screen shall test for the presence of at least cannabis, cocaine, phencyclidine (PCP), opiates, and amphetamines or their metabolites; and

(4)           the test threshold values meet the requirements established by the Department of Health and Human Services for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs, as found in 82 FR 7920 (2017) incorporated by reference, including later amendments and editions found at no cost at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/01/23/2017-00979/mandatory-guidelines-for-federal-workplace-drug-testing-programs;

(5)           conduct the test within 90 days of certification;

(6)           the laboratory conducting the test shall be certified for federal workplace drug testing programs, and shall adhere to applicable federal rules, regulations, and guidelines pertaining to the handling, testing, storage, and preservation of samples.

(b)  Each agency shall report in writing to the Criminal Justice Standards Division all refusals and all positive results of required drug screening obtained from applicants and lateral transfers. If the positive result were explained by the applicant or lateral transfer to the satisfaction of the agency's Medical Review Officer, who shall be a licensed physician, the positive results are not required to be reported.

(c)  Each agency, if it conducts a drug screen for in-service officers, shall report in writing positive results or refusals to submit to an in-service drug screening to the Criminal Justice Standards Division within 30 days of the positive result or refusal, unless the officer has explained the positive result to the satisfaction of the agency's Medical Review Officer, who shall be a licensed physician, to the extent the drug screen conducted conforms to the specifications of this Rule.

(d)  For reporting purposes, a result is considered "positive" only in those cases where the drug screen reveals the presence of an illegal drug at a level equal to or greater than the threshold value as established by the Department of Health and Human Services for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs and incorporated by reference in this Rule.

(e)  For reporting purposes, a result is considered "negative" only in those cases where the drug screen reveals the presence of an illegal drug at a level less than the threshold value as established by the Department of Health and Human Services for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs and incorporated by reference in this Rule.

(f)  All written reports required to be submitted to the Criminal Justice Standards Division by this Rule shall contain the individual's name, date of birth, either the date the test was administered or the date of the refusal, and a copy of the drug screen panel with the results of the medical officer review.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 17C-6; 17C-10;

Eff. July 1, 1990;

Amended Eff. October 1, 2018; May 1, 2009;

Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, rule is necessary without substantive public interest Eff. May 25, 2019;

Amended Eff. October 1, 2022.