For the second year in a row, the percentage of American workers testing positive for illegal drugs has increased, according to a study conducted by Quest Diagnostics. Quest Diagnostics’ Drug Testing Index (DTI) – an annual analysis of workplace drug testing trends – found that the number of employees in the general workforce testing positive for illegal drug use increased in 2014 to 4.7%, up 9.3% from the year prior. Prior to 2013, DTI had shown a decade’s-long decline in employees’ use of illegal drugs. The increase in 2013 was driven largely by a 20% jump in the number of employees testing positive for marijuana use in Colorado and Washington. While marijuana remains the most commonly detected illegal drug, the number of employees testing positive for cocaine, methamphetamines and heroin also increased.
W. Barry Nixon is the COO, PreemploymentDirectory.com the leading background screening information portal and online worldwide directory of professional background screening firms and Suppliers to the background screening industry. He co-authored the landmark book, Background Screening & Investigations: Managing Hiring Risk from the HR and Security Perspective. He also is the publisher of award winning newsletters, The Background Buzz and The Global Background Screener, and the author of the Background Checks column in PI Magazine.
In addition, Barry is a past recipient of the elite ‘Top 25 Influential People in Security’ by Security Magazine and past Co-Chair, International Committee for the National Association for Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS). He currently serves as a Global Ambassador for NAPBS.
You can contact Barry at 1-949-770-5264 or online at wbnixon@preemploymentdirectory.com