The “SAP” in SAP Evaluation stands for “Substance Abuse Professional.” If you find yourself in need of one of these evaluations, it is more than likely you have been hoping to be cleared to return to duty or “RTD” for short. Situations that would warrant such an evaluation typically come in the form of a failed random drug screen during your employment. Failing a drug screen can feel very much like having the rug of your livelihood pulled right out from under you. Not every one that fails these tests is an alcoholic, drug addict, or a “bad” person. Often times a lapse of judgment or a momentary temptation can result in a dramatic uprooting of your ability to provide for yourself.
I will refrain from detailing the circumstances involved in a failed drug screen as it pertains to an actual alcoholic or drug addict and will give an example I have run in to lately where many workers under DOT(Department of Transportation) have failed tests and do not know why. Lately, in the United States, there has been a massive influx of both advertisement and positive marketing pointed to the CBD industry. CBD comes in many forms including oils, tinctures, pills, inhalants, and smokable versions to name a few. Many of these brands of CBD profess to contain 0% THC. For the worker who is suffering from a variety of physical ailments, this might seem like a godsend and a natural homeopathic way to ease some of their sufferings. What the companies do not inform you about is the fact that these 0% THC brands still contain a small percentage of THC which the FDA considers negligible in its ability to cause any psychoactive effects. Unfortunately, when a test of sufficient strength is administered invariably the worker will test positive for THC.
This is when an SAP Evaluation can be extremely useful. The SAP Evaluation will determine the course necessary to deem you fit Return To Duty (RTD). Recommendations will be based on the history involved, the situation which brought you to the SAP Evaluation, and a variety of other areas that will be monitored and reviewed by the Evaluator.