More U.S. Workers Test Positive for Certain Illicit Drugs

A Quest Diagnostics study of more than 10 million urine tests conducted on behalf of U.S. employers found the percentage of American workers and job applicants testing positive for illicit drugs in 2017 was 4.2 percent, holding steady from 2016, reports the Wall Street Journal . In the general workforce, 5 percent of tests came back positive for an illicit substance, up from 4.9 percent in 2016. Fewer U.S. workers tested positive for prescription painkillers last year, but cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana use surged. In all, 2.6 percent of the general workforce showed positive results for marijuana, although Quest says fewer customers are requesting the marijuana test. Positive tests for marijuana rose in states that recently legalized the drug for medical or recreational use. Positive tests for opiates, such as morphine and oxycodone, dropped sharply by 17 percent in 2017 from the year before. That decline likely reflects continuing crackdowns on illegal or excessive opioid prescriptions. Although marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, 30 states and the District of Columbia have adopted laws legalizing it in some form, says the National Conference of State Legislatures. Even in states that have eased or repealed restrictions on buying, selling, and using marijuana, the legal status of the drug is unstable, notes Fisher Phillips attorney Danielle Urban.