Quest Diagnostics Study Reveals Workplace Drug Use Declined Over Past 25 Years

Author: Marta Moakley, XpertHR Legal Editor

November 20, 2013

The drug use rate of US workers has declined 74 percent over the past 25 years, according to a Quest Diagnostics study. The drug screening company analyzed over 125 million urine drug tests administered from the period 1988 to 2012 to reach its findings.

In a press release, Dr. Barry Sample, director of science and technology for Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions, cautions that while the analysis, known as the Drug Testing Index (DTI), "underscores the nation's progress in reducing the prevalence of drug use in our country's work environments, there is a danger in becoming complacent in response to this good news."

Although the positivity rate for the combined US workforce declined from 13.6 percent to 3.5 percent in 2012 (resulting in a 74 percent decrease), the analysis also found that the positivity rate for certain drugs has increased over the same period. Specifically, employee use of amphetamine and opiates are on the rise. This may be attributed to an increase in prescription drug dependency and abuse.

Based on the data, the use of particular drugs appears to fluctuate based on certain external factors, such as specific enforcement of particular types of drugs. For example, a 2005 decline in drug positives for methamphetamine could be attributed to enhanced federal and state enforcement efforts to shut down mobile "meth labs" and to step up regulation of certain over-the-counter medicines (e.g., ephedrine).

Because of these trends, it is possible that employers across the US may see a rise in positives for marijuana, as additional states continue to pass legislation allowing for the medicinal or recreational use of the drug. According to the study, 42 percent of non-negative results were positive for marijuana in 2012. Despite these state laws, employers may still continue to discipline employees for marijuana use, whether for medicinal or recreational purposes, due to marijuana's continuing status as an illegal drug under federal law.

Workplace drug screening and testing continues to be popular among employers for preemployment, management and safety purposes. The practice became widespread with the passage of the Drug-Free Workplace Act in 1988 (the US Department of Labor is currently celebrating the law's silver anniversary) and continuing efforts at the state and local levels seeking to expand workplace drug testing.