FEATURE
Employee Drug Test Positivity at Two-Decade High Albert Dallao, ARCpoint Labs of Reading, PA
“
W
e have more openings than applicants and we need people!” A commonly heard employer statement over the past two years. As employee shortages continue to challenge the business landscape, many employers are relaxing their hiring requirements. Changing or relaxing requirements to pass an employment drug test may be one way of bringing more employees through the door. But a change in your employee drug testing requirements comes with risks. In its 2022 Annual Drug Testing Report and Industry Insights Report, Quest Diagnostics, a leading drug test provider, indicated the rate of positive drug test results reached its highest rate since 2001. The data is based on testing results completed through 2001. This report also indicated that positivity rates were up over 30% from an all-time low in 2010-2012.
Nearly One In 20 Test Positive Nationwide workforce testing results reported by Quest Diagnostics in 2021 indicate a 4.6% positivity rate among employees tested. Several drug categories saw positivity rates increase year over year including Marijuana, up 8.9%, Amphetamine (including Methamphetamine), up 7.8%, and Cocaine, up 5.0%. Opiate and Oxycodone positivity rates continued to trend downward, decreasing 19% from 2020 to 2021 with an overall reduction of 56.4% over the past five years. (See chart below.)
Positivity Rates From 2020-2021 *Nationwide Workforce Testing Results Marijuana
Cocaine
Amphetamine (including Methamphetamine)
Opiate and Oxycodone
Increase 8.9%
Increase 7.8% 16
THE RESPONSE // WINTER 2022-23
Increase 5.0%
Decrease 19%