DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Cocaine use by U.S. workers and job applicants dropped sharply
last year according to Quest Diagnostics' (DGX) annual drug testing
index, with the findings attributed to workplace drug-testing
programs.
But the findings also saw that the positive rate for the general
work force is sharply higher than job applicants as the workers are
far less likely to expect to be tested.
The lab-services concern said the overall rate of positive urine
tests for cocaine slid 29% last year to 0.41%. The rate also fell
21% for methamphetimines to 0.11%, but it rose 13% for amphetimines
to 0.45%. All three are stimulants, which typically are used to
increase alertness and relieve fatigue.
"The implementation of workplace drug testing programs has
significantly reduced drug abuse in worker populations subject to
drug testing," said Robert Willette, president of Duo Research and
former Chief of the Research Technology Branch of the National
Institute on Drug Abuse.
But he said the amphetamine rise could be tied to "the
significant increase" in drugs prescribed for Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
Overall drug use in the U.S. workforce has fallen over the 19
years since Quest Diagnostics first published the Drug Testing
Index. Then, 13.6% of workers tested positive for drug use,
compared with 3.6% in 2008 and 3.8% a year earlier.
Still, positives among workers was 47% higher than applicants -
5.3% versus 3.6%. But the rate among so-called safety-sensitive
workers was 1.4%, compared with the pre-employment rate of 1.7%.
People in such jobs "understand that they can be subject to a
random drug test at any time," said Quest.
-By Mike Barris, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5658;
mike.barris@dowjones.com