The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™ (DTI) is an important report, thought of a worthwhile instrument for workforce drug testing business tendencies since its inception in 1988. It examines positivity charges, offering a complete evaluation of office drug use tendencies amongst federally mandated, safety-sensitive staff, the overall US workforce, and the mixed US workforce. In terms of understanding historic patterns of drug use amongst American staff, the DTI is the business customary.
Employers profit from having extra instruments, just like the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™ from one supplier
Employers should handle an often-overwhelming variety of advantages and vendor partnerships, so a streamlined answer can save leaders time and contribute to operational effectivity. With Quest Diagnostics Workforce Well being Options, employers now have one major contact for inhabitants well being administration, scientific testing, and drug testing, decreasing administrative burdens and optimizing useful resource allocation. This unified providing might not solely save time and prices but additionally permit employers to have a various portfolio of wellness options for his or her worker populations.
Evaluation from 2023 revealed key insights into drug take a look at dishonest
This yr’s DTI reveals the charges of substituted specimens elevated greater than 600% within the common US workforce in response to evaluation of over 5.5 million deidentified drug checks in 2023. Folks select to dilute, substitute, or in any other case cheat on their drug screens for a lot of causes, the first one is more likely to not permit laboratories to detect medication at the moment current of their system.
Leverage the actionable insights from this yr’s Drug Testing Index™
Though there are safeguards to assist employers stop a job applicant or an worker who makes use of medication from dishonest or altering a donor specimen, this newest evaluation from the DTI reveals that makes an attempt to subvert detection are on the rise as properly.
Learn unique protection by the Wall Road Journal about this yr’s key DTI insights.
By the numbers: Marijuana continues upward positivity development
The 2024 DTI reveals that marijuana positivity within the common US workforce elevated 4.7% (4.3% in 2022 versus 4.5% in 2023). Over 5 years, marijuana positivity has elevated considerably.
As extra states proceed to vary their laws of leisure marijuana, use of this well-liked managed substance by American workers continues its upward development. When analyzing marijuana positivity in authorized states versus these the place the drug is against the law, the authorized states’ positivity numbers proceed to outpace these the place the drug stays unlawful. Which will look like an apparent development, however it shouldn’t be ignored. Merely put, extra workers are utilizing the drug.
To make clear, we’re not speaking about simply most of the people; the info within the DTI represents employment-specific drug testing in all industries. On condition that workforce well being and office security are of concern, even in typical workplace environments, employers ought to weigh their choices on find out how to handle marijuana use of their workforce.
In line with this yr’s DTI, Marijuana positivity, within the common US workforce, elevated 1.8% (5.7% in 2022 versus 5.8%) in states through which leisure marijuana is authorized and a couple of.6% (3.9% in 2022 versus 4.0% in 2023) in states through which medical marijuana is authorized. In states through which neither leisure nor medical marijuana is authorized, positivity within the common US workforce elevated 6.5% yr over yr (3.1% in 2022 versus 3.3% in 2023) and elevated 22% over 5 years (2.7% in 2019 versus 3.3% in 2023).
Learn the way employers might use the DTI to make vital drug-free office selections.
The flexibility of drug testing with oral fluid collections
In terms of screening potential and present workers for marijuana use, employers could also be confused on what they’re capable of do primarily based on the authorized standing of the drug of their state. For instance, in each Washington and California laws has been accredited that prohibits employers, in some cases, from taking opposed motion in opposition to an worker or applicant primarily based on a marijuana drug take a look at outcome for a “nonpsychoactive metabolite(s).” Though employers might interpret that as a ban on employment drug testing for marijuana, that isn’t an correct conclusion.
The fact is that employers nonetheless have choices out there to assist implement their drug-free office insurance policies. As an example, Quest Diagnostics lab-based oral fluid testing and oral fluid level of care testing units display for the presence of the psychoactive guardian drug (i.e., THC), slightly than a metabolite of THC.
Employers may additionally think about shifting their screening practices from a pre-employment program to an, “always-on” random testing program. On this observe, a pool of workers is chosen at random to endure drug screening. Coupled with versatility of oral fluid drug testing for particular workers the place impairment is suspected, employers can have a robust providing to assist deter drug use of their workforce.
Doubling down on oral fluid testing might even lead employers to find the comfort of prompt oral fluid drug checks. Some of these collections could also be executed practically anyplace and may produce a detrimental outcome virtually immediately. Relying on the system used, presumptive constructive outcomes could also be despatched into the laboratory for additional testing to verify the presence of illicit substances within the pattern.
A useful resource setting the usual for a data-driven business
At Quest Diagnostics, we understand the significance good information play in serving to employers make selections primarily based on actionable tendencies and knowledge. The DTI has been launched yearly for 36 years to assist reveal insights into patterns of drug use within the American workforce. We publish these findings as a public service for presidency, employers, coverage makers, and most of the people.
These numbers are solely the start of this yr’s in-depth report. If you need to take a deeper dive into the info, overview historic information from previous years’ numbers, or take a look at particular findings in several industries, chances are you’ll achieve this by accessing our DTI hub.
To study extra about how one can create a robust drug-free office program, join with us immediately.
