B.C. doctors accused of conflict of interest for links to drug-testing industry

published on November 2, 2021 in Drug & Alcohol Testing Association of Canada

Earlier in September, several B.C. physicians specializing in assessing addiction have been accused of “massive conflict of interest” by several organizations which have pointed out the addiction specialists’ potential financial interest in the drug testing industry.

The group of physicians in question are responsible for creating return-to-work plans for individuals treated for substance use disorders in safety-sensitive positions, with the requirements sometimes including alcohol and drug tests.

The tests are usually carried out by medical monitoring companies, while some of the companies are owned by the same physicians.

“Most of us have to pay crazy amounts of money to use the companies owned by the same group of doctors who dictate our return-to-work requirements,” said Rebecca Humberstone, a nurse in Victoria, B.C. who has been required to undergo drug testing for years after an evaluation by a doctor who owns a medical monitoring company…