INDUSTRY NEWS
Drug Use Among U.S. Workers Hits New Low
Thanks to a continued decline in drug positivity for amphetamines among safety sensitive workers - a category that includes pilots, bus and truck drivers, and nuclear power plant employees - and a decrease in positive marijuana drug test results brought workplace drug use to a new low in 2006. This according to Quest Diagnostics' Drug Testing Index, a report considered a benchmark for national trends since its inception in 1988.
The 2006 Drug Testing Index showed that positivity for amphetamines declined 20 percent to hit a new low among federally-mandated, safety-sensitive workers. Among the general workforce, positivity for amphetamines declined 12.5 percent. Also, the number of positive tests for marijuana declined 6.3 percent among the general workforce.
Overall, the data revealed that drug use by employees and applicants fell to the lowest levels since Quest Diagnostics began publishing the Index in 1988. Positive drug test results fell from 13.6 percent in 1988 to 3.8 percent in 2006.
Representatives from Quest Diagnostics attribute the dramatic decline to two factors: increased employer awareness of the impact of workplace drug abuse on a company's bottom line, and the possibility that drug abusers may steer clear of applying at companies that actively drug test applicants and employees.
Results of the Department of Health and Human Services 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows support for drug testing as a deterrent to employee drug use. The survey found that individuals whose employers do not have a drug testing program reported a nearly 50 percent higher incidence of illicit drug use.
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(Source: http://www.questdiagnostics.com)
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