NSOH 2025 Virtual Conference - Substance abuse in the workplace – what is happening? Friday 5th December 2025 (part 1)

NSOH virtual conference which rook place on 5th December 2025. Topic of the conference was substance abuse in the workplace, speakers included

Drug and alcohol Advisory Board/Independent review of drugs -Professor Dame Carol Black,UK physician and policy review

Update on drug misuse/drug addiction -Dr Jane Marshall,A designation consultant psychiatrist specialising in addiction

Rehabilitation & treatment: the role of the employer -Dr Sam Phillips, Consultant OH physician,Head of Health and Wellbeing: Transport for London

11.00

Impact of drugs on work – creating a new standard, Network Rail,Deborah Edmonds,Director of Occupational Health, Hygiene & Wellbeing, Network Rail

Challenging the threshold of safety -Dr Mary Obele ,Specialist Occupational & Environmental physician,Sole Practitioner Pinkkiwi New Zealand

Medicinal cannabis basics of the current law, safety, contraindications and evidence-based uses -Dr Michael Barnes,Consultant Neurologist,Chair, Medical Cannabis Society

The challenges of drug testing in South Africa with medical cannabis -Dr Tim Laurens – Forensic Toxicologist,ELS Laboratory and technical Director RSA

Drug testing in the UK -Dr Simon Davis , Senior Research Scientist and Scientific Advisor,Imperial College and Express Medicals

Legal Aspects of drug and alcohol testing -Professor Diana Kloss MBE- Barrister,Expert in Occupational health and employment law

Ethics and substance use testing -Professor Paul Lian, Consultant in Occupational Health and wellbeing,FOM Ethics committee,Clinical Lead at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation