As stress levels increase, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a corresponding increase in drug and alcohol use / abuse. In light of this, Employment related Drug Testing is always a good policy. The benefits of a solid drug testing program have been well researched and documented ...

Employers Who Drug Test

According to National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) research cited in November 2019, Employers who drug test experience:

• Reduced on-the-job accidents
• Decreased absenteeism
• Lower healthcare costs
• Improved employee productivity
• Reduced employee turnover
• Lower workers’ compensation costs

Employees Who Use Drugs

If that is not enough incentive, statistics from NIDA tell us that 67% of drug users are employed and that 27.7 million Americans used marijuana in the last month. Additional statistics from SAMHSA.gov (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration) show that Employees who use drugs are:

• 2.5x more likely to be absent for 8 or more days each year than their co-workers who do not use drugs
• 3.6x more likely to be involved in an accident at work
• 5x more likely to file a workers’ compensation claim

Drug Testing ROI

The benefits alone could defray the cost of your drug testing program or at the very least help fund your program. Quest Diagnostics has developed a tool to help you calculate the return on investment of your Drug Testing Program. You can find it at DrugTestingROI.com.

COVID-19 Effect on Drug Use

Since the numbers and statistics are “out of date” as soon as the reports are published, we won’t know until next year the full extent of the effect of the COVID-19 shutdowns and socializing restrictions.

We do have an early indicator based on the demand for medical marijuana. Once businesses were shut down and employees were laid off or furloughed indefinitely, stocks surged in price and demand went way up.

As a general rule it can be said that as stress levels increase there is a corresponding increase in drug and alcohol use / abuse.

A good drug testing policy will help you keep your workplace a safe workplace, reduce your liability and save you money.

CIC Teams with LabCorp, Quest, i3Screen for Drug Testing

Whether you have an existing program or are thinking about establishing one, the evidence shows that a solid drug testing program is a good business practice, especially when it includes random testing.

CIC has teamed with LabCorp and Quest and our MRO i3Screen to help you with your employment-related drug testing. We can offer you a large network of collection sites in all 50 states, standard drug panels, including DOT, to meet every need, a random selection process and expert MRO review capabilities.

Common Drugs of Abuse

To avoid hiring problem employees, employers need to do background checks and drug testing. Here is a list of common drugs of abuse including detection times and symptoms.

For more information about this article, how to set up a Drug Testing Program, or general Employment Screening Services, please contact us at 1.800.573.2201 / 419.874.2201.