Drug Use in Workplace Statistics Decline Significantly – Or Do They?

A report released by Quest Diagnostics in March, 2007, stated that the incidence of positive workplace drug tests in 2006 declined to their lowest levels since 1988. This report was followed by another in August, 2007 that stated that cocaine in workplace drug test hit a 10- year low in the first half of 2007. Good news – if true. The unfortunate fact is that the sales of products to fraudulently pass workplace drug tests is a thriving industry.

Do a search with any of the major search engines for the terms “pass a drug test” and you’ll usually see between 2 million and 12 million results. Look for testimony before Congress and you’ll find the Department of Health and Human Services reporting that some of these products are effective. There’s detoxifying drinks or pills; shampoos “guaranteed” to remove drug deposits in hair. There’s a mouthwash to enable one to pass a saliva drug test. And of course, there’s synthetic urine.

There are even websites that enable one to enter gender, amount of body fat, drug of choice and type of upcoming drug test. The website will recommend the correct product for the situation. One website even features a long list of testimonials from satisfied customers who passed their tests despite drug use.

The Health and Human Services testimony to a Senate Subcommittee in May, 2005, reported that internet access to these products has proliferated in the last several years. In January 2002, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) identified 650 products marketed to fool a drug test. They also reported that in September, 2002, a Google search for “pass a drug test” revealed 158,000 hits. Today, an Excite search results in 15 million hits.

In comparison, the Office of Applied Studies, part of SAMHSA, reports that between 2002 and 2004, illicit drug use among full-time workers aged 16 to 64 was estimated at 8.2 percent. Compare this figure to the results reported by the Quest Diagnostics report. In their statement, 3.8 percent of U.S. workers had positive results, compared to 4.1 percent in 2005 and 13.6 percent in 1988. In Texas, SAMHSA estimates that 6.8 percent of all residents (ages 12 or older) have used an illicit drug or abused a prescription drug in the last month, and in the last year, nearly 13 percent have abused drugs.

“The real solution to drug use in the workplace is not reliance on statistics that may be misleading,” stated Ryan Thorpe, Admissions Director of Narconon Arrowhead, one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. “A better solution is truthful and penetrating education of workers and availability of effective and permanent rehabilitation. At Narconon, our program constantly returns drug-free workers to the workplace. Seven out of ten of our graduates are still drug-free two years after they return to home and work.”

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