An analysis of more than 10 million drug test results presented at 13th Annual FTA Drug and Alcohol Program National Conference in May this year by Quest Diagnostics showed that drug use in the American workforce in 2017 reached the highest positivity rate since 2005.
The overall percentage of workers testing positive for the presence of drugs among the combined U.S. workforce in 2017 was 4.2 percent (the same as in 2016). It’s a dramatic rise from the 3.5 percent rate in 2012, which was the lowest rate in 30 years.
The analysis also showed the rate of testing positive for different drugs. Marijuana testing continued its five-year upward trend, with a nearly 75 percent increase, from 5.1 percent in 2013 to 8.9 percent in 2017, in the general US workforce. Cocaine positivity increased 12 percent in 2017, reaching a seven-year high of 0.28 percent, compared to 0.25 percent in 2015 in the general US workforce. Methamphetamine positivity increased more than 8 percent (US).
The 2017 data implies changing patterns of drug use, with the number of positive tests for cocaine and amphetamines rising and falling in some parts of the country and marijuana use increasing in states with new recreational use statutes.
Overall positivity in drug testing in Florida was 3.4 percent, lower than the national average, while the percent of positive tests from drug testing in Hialeah ranged from 3.2-3.5 percent. Shifts in positivity of different kinds of illicit drugs in Florida are comparable to those in other areas of the country, except for methamphetamine, whose positivity rate in Florida increased by 140 percent between 2013 and 2017.
These numbers show that employers may be facing new challenges in their efforts to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Data collected by The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows that employees in organizations without a drug testing program have 30-40% higher self-reported use in the past month.
Workplace drug prevention seems to play a vital role in overcoming this serious problem. According to Quest Diagnostics, as overall substance abuse rises across the United States, drug testing programs continue to play an important role in helping to create safe, drug-free workplaces.
As part of its program to drug test in Hialeah, RiteCare Urgent Care Medical Center in Hialeah offers consultation, policy development and supervisor training for your company. Drug testing in Hialeah includes many types and levels of panel testing. Our programs save employers money and assist in creating a safe and productive work environment.
Drug test Hialeah -read more here
source: https://www.questdiagnostics.com/home/no-specialty-identified.html
https://nsduhweb.rti.org/respweb/homepage.cfm
