Overall Drug Positivity Holds Steady at
Historically High Rates while Marijuana Positivity Continued
Upward Climb in the General U.S. Workforce
Marijuana Positivity in the General
U.S. Workforce Escalated in States That Have Legalized Recreational
Marijuana as well as in Professional Office-Based
Industries
SECAUCUS, N.J., May 15, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The percentage of employees in the general
U.S. workforce whose drug test showed signs of tampering increased
by more than six-fold in 2023 versus the prior year, the highest
rate ever in more than 30 years of annual reporting. This finding
is part of a new analysis of nearly 9.8 million workforce drug
tests released today by Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), a leading
provider of diagnostic information services. To view the full
report, visit www.QuestDiagnostics.com/DTI.
The increase in substituted urine specimens in the general U.S.
workforce, a population of over 5.5 million, was 633% (0.015% in
2022 versus 0.11% in 2023). Invalid urine specimens in the general
U.S. workforce increased 45.2% (0.31% in 2022 versus 0.45% in
2023). A result of substituted or invalid suggests a specimen has
been tampered with in an attempt to conceal drug
use.i
The increasing rates of substituted or invalid specimens
coincide with historically high rates of both general U.S.
workforce drug positivity and post-accident marijuana positivity.
Drug positivity in the general U.S. workforce was 5.7% in both 2022
and 2023. In 2023, in the combined U.S. workforce, urine drug
positivity for all drugs was 4.6%, the same as in 2021 and 2022.
This overall positivity is the highest level in more than two
decades, up more than 30% from an all-time low of 3.5% in
2010-2012, and coincides with a sharp increase of 114.3% in
post-accident positivity between 2015 and 2023 in the general U.S.
workforce.
"The increased rate of both substituted and invalid specimens
indicates that some American workers are going to great lengths to
attempt to subvert the drug testing process," said Suhash Harwani, Ph.D., Senior Director of
Science for Workforce Health Solutions at Quest Diagnostics. "Given
the growing acceptance and use of some drugs, particularly
marijuana, it may be unsurprising that some people feel it
necessary to try and cheat a drug test. It is possible that our
society's normalization of drug use is fostering environments in
which some employees feel it is acceptable to use such drugs
without truly understanding the impact they have on workplace
safety."
Similar trends were also seen in the federally mandated,
safety-sensitive U.S. workforce, with substituted specimens
increasing 370.6% (0.017% in 2022 versus 0.08% in 2023) and invalid
rates increasing 36.7% (0.30% in 2022 versus 0.41% in 2023).
"Organizations must have sound policy and procedures to ensure
employee drug testing programs have efficacy. Cheating on drug
tests not only undermines workplace safety but also jeopardizes the
safety of society as a whole," said Katie Mueller, a senior program manager at the
National Safety Council focusing on cannabis
safety. "Companies, regulators and policymakers must
prioritize accountability for the well-being of all individuals in
our communities; lives depend on it."
Marijuana Continues Upward Climb
Marijuana positivity
in the general U.S. workforce increased 4.7% (4.3% in 2022 versus
4.5% in 2023). Over five years, marijuana positivity has
increased 45.2%, with 2023 reaching a new peak compared to 2019
(3.1% in 2019 versus 4.5% in 2023).
Marijuana Drug Test Positivity Decreases in Federally
Mandated, Safety Sensitive Workforce
In the federally
mandated safety-sensitive workforce, marijuana positivity decreased
nationally 3.1% year over year (0.98% in 2022 versus 0.95% in
2023).
Marijuana positivity stayed the same (1.1% in both 2022 and
2023) in states in which recreational marijuana is legal and
decreased 2.2% (0.90% in 2022 versus 0.88% in 2023) in states in
which medical marijuana is legal. In states in which neither
recreational nor medical marijuana use is legal, marijuana
positivity decreased 6.7% (0.89% in 2022 versus 0.83% in 2023) year
over year and stayed the same over five years (0.83% in 2019 versus
0.83% in 2023).
"The federally mandated, safety-sensitive population has a lower
rate of drug positivity, likely due to the fact that there is
decreased drug use when there is an expectation of being drug
tested. This is fundamentally the strength of having a drug testing
program. The mere expectation of drug testing may be a deterrent,
dissuading individuals from both drug use and applying for
positions where such tests are standard practice," said Dr.
Harwani.
Post-accident Marijuana Positivity Continues to
Climb
In 2023, post-accident marijuana positivity of urine
drug tests in the general U.S. workforce was 7.5%. The new peak
follows a steady increase in post-accident marijuana positivity
every year from 2015 to 2023. In that 9-year time frame,
post-accident marijuana positivity increased 114.3%.
The Quest data aligns with other reports associating marijuana
legalization with workplace harms. A February 2024 study in the Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA Health Forum) found recreational
marijuana laws that allow recreational marijuana sales were
associated with a 10% increase in workplace injuries among
individuals aged 20 to 34 years.
"As the prevalence of marijuana positives in the workforce
rises, our concern grows," said Mueller. "The data show an
increasing correlation between marijuana use and adverse workplace
effects, prompting a call for heightened vigilance and
comprehensive strategies to safeguard workplace safety and
productivity."
"Most employers are highly focused on productivity, which can be
achieved by improving workforce health and wellness. A
well-executed drug testing program can help an organization to
maintain a healthier a workforce which, based on our data, could
decrease the potential for accidents or other unsafe behaviors,"
added Dr. Harwani.
Positivity Increased in Industries Associated with Office
Work
Overall drug workforce positivity increased in
industries associated with "office work," such as administrative,
managerial, and clerical tasks within office environments.
Workforce positivity increased in Real Estate and Lending by 17.0%
(4.7% in 2022 versus 5.5% in 2023); Professional, Scientific and
Technical Services by 9.3% (4.3% in 2022 versus 4.7% in 2023);
Educational Services by 7.9% (from 3.8% in 2022 to 4.1% in 2023);
and Public Administration by 5.0% (4.0% in 2022 to 4.2% in
2023).
Marijuana positivity increased in 13 out of 15 industries led by
Finance and Insurance which increased 35.7% (2.8% in 2022 versus
3.8% in 2023); Public Administration which increased 23.5% (1.7% in
2022 versus 2.1% in 2023); and Real Estate Rental and Leasing which
increased 22.2% (5.4% in 2022 versus 6.5% in 2023).
"It isn't clear why we're seeing an increase in overall and
marijuana drug positivity in office workers, but it isn't a stretch
that a combination of unprecedented stress and isolation during the
pandemic with work-from-home policies during and post-pandemic may
be contributing to greater drug use in employees in traditionally
white-collar fields," said Sam
Sphar, Vice President and General Manager, Workforce Health
Solutions, Quest Diagnostics. "The results underscore the growing
need for mental health support and drug education programs to
ensure employees are safe and productive, whether working at home
or in the office."
Urine Drug Test Positivity Among Other Drug
Types
Cocaine positivity in the general U.S. workforce
increased 9.1% (0.22% in 2022 versus 0.24% in 2023). Amphetamines
positivity remained flat (1.5% in 2022 and 2023) and 6-AM (heroin
metabolite) positivity decreased 16.7% (0.006% in 2022 versus
0.005% in 2023).
Opiates (codeine/morphine) positivity decreased 12.5% (0.16% in
2022 versus 0.14% in 2023), Opiates (hydrocodone/hydromorphone)
decreased 9.4% percent (0.32% in 2022 versus 0.29% in 2023) and
Oxycodone (Oxycodone/Oxymorphone) also decreased 3.6% (0.28% in
2022 versus 0.27% in 2023), continuing a downward trend over five
years for all three drug categories.
About the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™
The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™ (DTI) is a series of
reports that provide insights into trends in workforce drug use
based on positivity rates of deidentified laboratory tests
performed by Quest Diagnostics for a range of illicit, legal and
prescription drugs. It examines test results according to three
categories of workers: the federally mandated, safety-sensitive
workforce; the general U.S. workforce; and the combined U.S.
workforce. Federally mandated, safety-sensitive workers include
pilots, bus and truck drivers, and workers in nuclear power plants,
for whom routine drug testing is mandated by government agencies
like the Department of Transportation, the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission and the Department of Defense.
The strengths of the DTI analysis include its large, nationally
representative sample size, longitudinal monitoring, a testing
population that is generally reflective of the U.S. workforce and
the quality of the company's drug testing services to confirm
positive results. Limitations include analysis only of employers
that perform drug testing with the company, and a lack of exact
cross-specimen comparisons due to variations in substances for
which employers test. Quest Diagnostics has analyzed annual
workplace drug testing data since 1988 and publishes the findings
as a public service. For more information, visit
www.QuestDiagnostics.com/DTI.
About Quest Diagnostics Workforce Health Solutions
Through its workforce health solutions, Quest Diagnostics is a
leading provider of laboratory testing and other services designed
to optimize the health, safety, and wellbeing of employees. Quest
workforce health solutions includes population health and biometric
and laboratory screening services to identify and act on disease
risks in the earliest stages; workplace drug testing services to
help identify and pre-empt dangerous workplace drug use; and
OSHA-required laboratory screening and vaccination services. Based
on the industry leading diagnostics expertise of Quest Diagnostics,
our solutions incorporate the latest science, technology and
innovations in laboratory medicine and healthcare management to
reveal the actions that will improve workforce health, for better
medical care and lower costs. For more information, visit
WorkforceHealthSolutions.com.
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve health
outcomes. Derived from the world's largest database of clinical lab
results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and
treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors, and improve health care
management. Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and
half the physicians and hospitals in the
United States, and our nearly 50,000 employees understand
that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic
insights can inspire actions that transform
lives. www.QuestDiagnostics.com.
i A substituted drug test result means the specimen
is not consistent with normal human urine as evidenced by
creatinine and specific gravity values that are outside the
physiologically producible ranges of human urine. An invalid drug
test result indicates that the specimen submitted for drug testing
contains an unidentified adulterant, interfering substance, has
abnormal physical characteristics (which could damage laboratory
instrumentation), or contains a substance that may be a normal
constituent of urine at an abnormal concentration.
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SOURCE Quest Diagnostics