Higher Percentage of Workers in America are Positive for Marijuana After on-the-Job Accidents

The percentage of United States workers who have tested positive for marijuana after a workplace accident has reached its highest level in the past 25 years according to the 2023 Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index. The data from the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index is taken from urine drug tests of workers throughout the United States. In one year, the percentage of positive marijuana tests after a workplace accident increased from 6.7 percent in 2021 to 7.3 percent in 2022. Over the last 10 years (2012 to 2022), post-accident positive marijuana tests at work increased 204.2 percent.

One reason for this noted increase can be the change of societal perspective on marijuana use. The increase of states that have legalized recreational and “medicinal” marijuana use reveals that marijuana use is becoming more normalized and acceptable in society, which can heavily influence the increase of marijuana use at the workplace. The overall use of marijuana at the workplace has increased from 3.9 percent in 2021 to 4.3 percent in 2022.

The same report found that in the United States, the use of amphetamines by workers at the workplace has increased by 15.4 percent from 2018 to 2022. The new findings from the 2023 Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index will be presented at the 2023 National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) Conference this week from May 23rd to May 25th.

These findings underscore the importance of establishing and maintaining a Drug Free Workplace Program. For more information on DFWP programs, policies, and resources on the impacts of substance us in the workplace, please visit www.ndwa.org

Reference
Post-Accident Workforce Drug Positivity for Marijuana Reached 25-Year High in 2022, Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index Analysis Finds. (2023, May 18). Quest Diagnostics Newsroom. https://newsroom.questdiagnostics.com/2023-05-18-Post-Accident-Workforce-Drug-Positivity-for-Marijuana-Reached-25-Year-High-in-2022,-Quest-Diagnostics-Drug-Testing-Index-Analysis-Finds