Quest Diagnostics recently released their Quest’s Drug Testing Index (DTI). It indicates a sharp increase in the number of positive results for marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine during 2014. Predictably, marijuana was the most detected drug in the general US workforce at 2.4%, a 14% rise from the 2013. Interestingly, the positive rate for Colorado and Washington were consistent with the overall US results at 14% and 16% respectively. Both states recently dropped legal penalties for personal use of marijuana. Obviously that makes us wonder about the rationality of laws against maryjane.
On the more serious side, cocaine and meth detections both increased to 0.24% and 1.04% respectively. While the increasing numbers in all three could reflect a trend reversing past declines in drug use, there are still those of us who are pained to see the invasion of the privacy represented by drug tests imposed on the drug free 98% of the population to “protect” us against one or two in one hundred who appear to be determined to use recreational drugs regardless of legal or employment consequences.
That point is driven home by the advice offered in the parting shot in this report:

• Look for the signs
• Document, document, document
• Get professional advice
• Approach the person, but not as an enforcer, and
• Present the plan and do what you can to implement it.

Nowhere is there a suggestion to resort to company-wide testing.  If you see signs, they are far more important than test results. If 98% of your workforce is likely to be drug-free, those who are not are likely to stand out whether they are tested or not.