Opioids and their effects on people in the state have a far-reaching effect. Even into the area of the Workers’ Compensation Commission. Mark Formby serves as a commissioner and Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Commission and said drugs have wormed their way into all aspects of life.
“If there is an opioid crisis in the state, then it is a crisis in every industry, it is a crisis for every insurance carrier, it is a crisis for families and for children,” said Mike Formby. “It is an octopus with a lot of tentacles and it reaches into all aspects of our lives.”
While Formby now works with the Workers’ Compensation Commission, he served previously as a Representative in the House and during his time there, helped pass legislation saying that if someone gets hurt on the job while drugs were in their system, then they will not receive compensation.
“If you have alcohol in your system, if you have illegal drugs in your system, or if you have legal drugs in your system that were used illegally, then the default is that we are not going to pay,” Formby said. “I try to share that a lot because I want people to understand the risk that is there. If you get killed at work and you’ve got drugs in your system, then you are causing your family to lose the benefits that they would otherwise receive.”
While Formby said it may sound harsh, his concern is for the other person that a drug abuser may hurt.
