Crisis Help and Mental Health Resources

A drug test result can put your job, your kids, your freedom, your security clearance, and your sense of identity on the line at the same time. That pressure is crushing, and it can feel like there is no way forward. There is. The resources on this page are free, confidential, and available 24/7. Please use them before making any major decisions.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers providing free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You do not have to be suicidal to call. The Lifeline serves people in any kind of emotional distress.

Call or text 988 from any phone in the United States
Online chat at 988lifeline.org
Spanish-language services: press 2 after calling 988
Deaf and hard of hearing: TTY 1-800-799-4889 or use 988 with relay services
Veterans: press 1 after calling 988 for the Veterans Crisis Line
LGBTQ+ youth: press 3 after calling 988

SAMHSA National Helpline

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) operates a free, confidential, 24/7 helpline for individuals and families facing mental and substance use disorders. This is the appropriate number if your concern is specifically about your cannabis use, treatment options, or whether you should consider counseling.

Phone: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
TTY: 1-800-487-4889
Free and confidential
Available 24/7, 365 days a year
Service in English and Spanish
Provides treatment referral and information services

For Veterans

The Veterans Crisis Line connects veterans in crisis (and their family members) with qualified Department of Veterans Affairs responders. You do not need to be enrolled in VA benefits or have VA health care to use these services.

Call: 988 then press 1
Text: 838255
Online chat: veteranscrisisline.net

Cannabis Use Disorder Support

If you are concerned that your cannabis use has become a problem, several resources can help:

SAMHSA Helpline — treatment referral, free and confidential
Marijuana Anonymous — marijuana-anonymous.org — peer support program based on the 12-step model
SMART Recovery — smartrecovery.org — secular cognitive-behavioral approach
Refuge Recovery — Buddhism-based recovery program
Online therapy services — many now cover substance use concerns
Our sister site CannabisDependence.org — cannabisdependence.org — honest, evidence-based information about cannabis use disorder

Financial Crisis Support

If a drug test result has caused financial crisis (job loss, legal fees, lost benefits):

211 — Call or text 211 for local social services and emergency assistance
Local food banks — feedingamerica.org
State unemployment offices — even if your initial claim is denied, appeals can succeed
Legal aid — Legal Services Corporation for low-income legal help

You Are Not Alone

Drug test failures feel isolating. They are also extremely common. Quest Diagnostics' 2024 data showed that 4.5% of the U.S. workforce tests positive for cannabis — the highest rate ever recorded. Hundreds of thousands of people every year face the same situation you are facing right now.

That does not make it easier, but it does mean there is help available, and it does mean that people in your exact situation have found their way through. Whatever happens with your job, your case, or your circumstances — the worst of this moment is temporary.

Please call one of the numbers above. They are free, they are confidential, and the people who answer are trained to help.