By Jonathan Baktari, MD, CEO of US Drug Test Centers
Are your employees sober while they’re on the clock? Concerning statistics suggest that more professionals are testing positive for illicit drugs while simultaneously, fewer companies are conducting pre-employment drug testing. Let’s explore what the data tells us, why this is so important, and what we can do about it.
How many companies conduct drug testing?
Workplace drug testing isn’t as prevalent as it used to be. In 2007, approximately 46% of workers reported having an employer who performed drug testing. Meanwhile, older research from 1999 said that as many as 90% of Fortune 200 companies were utilizing some type of drug testing. This suggests a significant decline in employer drug testing over the years.
Furthermore, recent data from 2023 indicates that a measly 1.47% of job postings in the United States mention that they require a pre-employment drug test. As far as companies that communicate within their job postings that they require regular drug screenings for employees? The number is even smaller: just 0.66%.
What explains this trend?
There are two main factors contributing to the decline of pre-employment and workplace drug testing.
The first is that since the COVID epidemic, many companies have moved to a remote work setup, making it exceedingly difficult to control what people do during work hours. This has also opened up a conversation around ethics: Is it ethical to drug test people working from their own homes? (As you’ll come to understand shortly, the answer is a resounding yes.)
The second factor is marijuana legalization. The rapidly evolving legislation around cannabis means that employers are receiving more positive test results, making it challenging to hire and retain talent. In response, major companies like Amazon, AutoNation, and Caesars Entertainment have stopped screening for marijuana in their employee drug testing programs. We’re even seeing this trend across athletics: The NBA has removed marijuana from its list of prohibited substances, and the MLB and NHL have relaxed their stances.
Instead of continuing to take action, too many companies are throwing in the towel altogether. But relaxing their standards hasn’t solved the problem of employee substance use.
How many candidates/employees test positive for drugs?
A decline in drug screening certainly doesn’t mean that drug use at work is no longer an issue. In 2018, Quest Diagnostics analyzed more than 10 million workplace drug test results and found increases in marijuana positivity in just about all testing categories. In fact, this was the highest these rates had been since 2004. These increases even applied to professionals in safety-sensitive roles.
It’s not just about workers testing positive for drugs like marijuana — it’s also about the increase in accidents we’re seeing as a direct result of drug use. There has been a jump in post-accident positivity for the general workforce in the United States, more than any other screening reasons, including pre-employment screening. For example, between 2017 and 2018 alone, there was a 9% increase in the post-accident positivity rate. From 2013 to 2018, the increase was 29%.
Alongside the increase in positive drug test results is an increase in substituted or invalid specimens. In other words, more people are trying to “cheat” their tests.
American culture might be fostering a more leisurely attitude toward marijuana, but that doesn’t mean the outcome isn’t incredibly concerning. That brings me to my next point.
How does all of this impact businesses?
The ramifications of drug use at work can be felt far and wide, affecting everything from company culture and morale to the bottom line.
For instance, in the United States, roughly $25 billion is spent each year on healthcare costs related to drug abuse. When you combine that with lost work, lost productivity, and increased employee turnover, the amount is closer to $81 billion every year.
Additionally, as we’ve already discussed, more people are getting hurt while on the job as a result of being impaired. This is incredibly dangerous for any employee and even more so for a professional in a safety-sensitive position who might be performing duties that involve the public. (Imagine getting on a plane being flown by a pilot who is high!)
So, changing marijuana legislation isn’t a reason not to test for drugs. A remote work environment is also not a reason not to test for drugs. Even in the walls of their own homes, if your employees are high on the clock, they could be costing you money — and a lot of it, at that.
Despite changing times, drug testing will always be vital
I know what some employers might be thinking. If you continue to conduct pre-employment, random, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, and return-to-duty drug testing, it’s going to be harder to find qualified candidates and retain the people you already have on payroll.
Yes, identifying more positive drug test results could mean it takes you a little bit longer to hire. It could mean losing the employees who aren’t in compliance with your workplace drug testing program and needing to find replacements.
However, consider the alternatives.
Choosing not to conduct drug testing could be the reason that an employee hurts themselves — or someone else — while on company time. It increases the likelihood of on-the-job crime. It could mean that a remote employee is too impaired to do their job correctly, resulting in critical errors or… work not getting done at all.
Which would you prefer?
Fast and reliable drug testing is crucial in keeping employees safe, protecting the business, and preventing significant financial loss. We must also remember that marijuana use is still illegal on the federal level. Changing legislation and remote work does not change the fact that performing a job impaired is a bad idea, at best, and dangerous, at worst. Employers should continue to invest in a robust drug-free workplace program that protects employees and keeps the business productive.