Drug Testing Statistics

71% of all drug users today in the U.S. over the age of 18 are employed either full or part-time according to the United States Dept of Labor. That is more than 10 million workers.

The Drug Free Workplace Act - in effect since March 18, 1989 - requires contractors and grantees of federal agencies to agree to provide drug-free workplaces as a precondition of receiving a contract or grant from a federal agency. Several government and private industry studies demonstrate that each drug user in the workplace costs an employer on average $7,000 - $13,000 annually. That adds up to billions in healthcare costs, lost production time, injuries, and damage to equipment and facilities.

Of the approximately 55 million drug tests performed in the United States each year, 90 percent are urine tests. In the first 3-4 months of newly instituted random drug testing of their employees, every company can expect drug positive rates of anywhere from 5 percent to 22 percent. Construction, warehouse, hospitality and food service tend to rank on the high end of the positive scale. Retail and office workers tend to have fewer positive drug tests. Healthcare and airline tend to have lower prevalence of drug use. The positive rate in a newly established testing program tends to decease, usually by the end of the first full year. The rate of drug positives may drop by 50 to 80 percent.

Pre-employment testing continues to be the most common type of drug testing. The American Management Association found that nearly 68% of firms that drug test will screen all applicants, while others only screen for certain positions. Several sources indicate that between 4% and 5% of applicants test positive for illicit drugs, which is in line with other national reports, including DOT drug-testing figures. The actual rates vary by industry and the reason for the test (pre-employment, random, etc.).

The vast majority of employers do not hire an applicant who tests positive (95%), thus avoiding the associated costs of employing a substance abuser. Three quarters of current users of illegal drugs are on someone’s payroll, either full-time or part-time. Small and medium sized employers are much more likely to be employing substance abusers than are larger employers.

There is a direct tie to increased costs of employing drug abusers. A study done by the United States Postal Service projected that the company would have saved approximately $52 million by 1989 if it had not hired known drug users in 1987. By 1991, the estimated savings increased to $105 million. Companies that do not conduct pre-employment testing subject themselves to Adverse Selection and hire more drug users than those that do. That is among the reasons why there has been such an increase in all types of drug testing among smaller companies. While it is a smart business practice to cut costs, it is also smart business practice to make your organization’s workplace as safe as possible. Drug testing can assist you with both.