More Workers Are Testing Positive for Drugs Than in the Last 12 Years
More American workers are testing positive for drugs than they have in the past twelve years.
According to an analysis from Quest Diagnostics, urine tests among the U.S. workforce had a positive result rate of 4.2 percent, the highest since 2004, when 4.5 percent of urine tests tested positive for drugs. This was also an increase of five percent from 2015 to 2016.
Colorado and Washington, which were the first two states to legalize marijuana, have outpaced the rest of the country's average in the growing trend of positive drug test results for marijuana. Colorado saw an eleven percent increase and Washington saw a nine percent increase in drug tests showing positive results for marijuana. The national average increased by just four percent.
The news is alarming for fleet managers particularly, in that the profession is already working to stem the safety issues involving distracted driving and the use of devices. The possibility of intoxicated driving further underscores the need to have strong driver safety policies and protocol in place.
"This year's findings are remarkable because they show increased rates of drug positivity for the most common illicit drugs across virtually all drug test specimen types and in all testing populations," said Barry Sample, Senior Director of Science and Technology for Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions.
While marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine use yielded more positive drug-test results than years prior, heroin detection remained at the same rate.
NAFA Fleet Management Association
http://www.nafa.org/