The percentage of working Americans testing positive for drugs hit a two-decade high last year, driven by an increase in positive marijuana tests, as businesses might have loosened screening policies amid nationwide labor shortages.

Of the more than six million general workforce urine tests that Quest Diagnostics Inc., one of the country’s largest drug-testing laboratories, screened for marijuana last year, 3.9% came back positive, an increase of more than 8% from 2020, according to Quest’s annual drug-testing index.

That figure is up 50% since 2017. Since then, the number of states that legalized marijuana for recreational use grew to 18 from eight, plus the District of Columbia.

Despite the increase in positivity last year, fewer companies tested their employees for THC, the substance in marijuana primarily responsible for its effects, than in recent years, said Barry Sample, Quest’s senior science consultant.



The shifting legal backdrop and changing cultural attitudes have prompted some employers to stop testing for marijuana while companies in some states are barred from factoring the test results into hiring decisions, according to Dr. Sample. And those trends accelerated last year amid the recent shortage of workers, especially in states where recreational marijuana is legal, Dr. Sample added.

“We’ve been seeing year-over-year declines in those recreational-use states, but by far the largest drop we’ve ever seen was in 2021,” he said about the number of drug tests that screened for THC.



C

Cannabis companies in the U.S. lack access to banking and other financial services because the drug is federally illegal. That could change through new legislation or thanks to broader legalization efforts backed by the Democratically-controlled Senate.

The percentage of specimens tested for THC declined 6.7% nationwide in 2021 from 2020, while that figure fell by 10.3% in states where recreational marijuana is legal, according to Quest’s data.

“We certainly heard from some of our employer customers that they were having difficulty finding qualified workers to pass the drug test,” Dr. Sample said of pre-employment tests for THC, especially in states where use of the drug is legal.

Overall, the proportion of U.S. workers who tested positive for the various drugs Quest screened for in 2021 rose to 4.6%, the highest level since 2001, according to Quest, which analyzed nearly nine million overall urine tests last year on behalf of employers.

That percentage is more than 31% higher than the low of 3.5% a decade ago, in the early days of a resurgent heroin epidemic in the U.S.

In Michigan, where recreational marijuana was legalized in 2018,many employers didn’t loosen their requirements on pre-employment drug tests for a few years, according to Tammy Turner, co-owner of Kapstone Employment Services, a Detroit-based staffing agency.

But during the pandemic and the related labor shortages, Kapstone, which works mostly with manufacturers that supply the Big Three car makers, encouraged regional employers to loosen their THC-screening policies for many positions.

“So many of our clients were adamant, in pre-Covid, that they would not accept anyone that could not pass a drug test, even if it was THC,” Ms. Turner said. “We had to encourage some of them to reassess their policy, and they did, and we were able to fill many of those jobs as a result.”


Customers purchase marijuana supplies at a store in New York, which legalized recreational use of the drug in 2021.


For certain positions, such as those that involve heavy machinery, Kapstone still screens applicants for THC and other drugs, as required by the federal government, said Kerry Buffington, co-owner of the company.

Ms. Buffington and Ms. Turner said they don’t see any of the companies they work with reverting to their pre-pandemic hiring standards even if the labor shortage eases.

Marijuana use has become so casual among some young workers that Ms. Turner said some potential workers have shown up to her office smelling like the drug, and one worker who was placed by Kapstone got fired after using a vape pen in the workplace. The firm has had to counsel some workers on what is appropriate at work, Ms. Turner added.

In the hospitality industry, many employers had already stopped screening potential employees for drugs, including marijuana, before the pandemic, according to one representative for a hotel management company with operations across the country, including in Georgia, Minnesota and Colorado.

The representative said their company along with several of their industry peers stopped conducting pre-employment drug tests in the past five years because of the associated expenses and evolving legal landscape.

Chris Layden, senior vice president at staffing firm ManpowerGroup, said the elimination of marijuana screening is one of the most common ways companies are seeking to expand their pool of eligible workers. ManpowerGroup estimated that drug testing eliminates about 5% of candidates.

ManpowerGroup is seeing companies across nearly all industries, except for financial services and federally regulated businesses, eliminate marijuana testing requirements, Mr. Layden said.

Michelle Bearden, chief risk and operating officer for Houston-based staffing and recruiting firm Link Staffing Services Inc., said she has yet to see a strong reason why Link Staffing should move to loosen pre-employment marijuana screenings before the federal government does. She acknowledged the job market has been tight during the pandemic, but said she doesn’t think nixing THC screenings is a good solution.

“[Marijuana] is still on the federal list of prohibited substances, and that is what our policies are driven by at this point,” she said. “If I see that there is an overwhelming reason or cause for us to change ahead of that, we will.”

In Texas, Link Staffing, which mostly hires for the manufacturing and distribution sectors in the Dallas and Houston areas, has made some concessions to fill open roles amid the labor shortage, including by easing background-check requirements, Ms. Bearden said.

And while it can still be tough to fill open roles, Link Staffing and the employers it works with still view marijuana use as a deal breaker.

“We employ people in safety-sensitive jobs, and I think your employers that operate workplaces with high safety concerns—it may still be part of what they view as a hazard in the workplace, for people to be under the influence of anything,” Ms. Bearden said.


link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/p...ing_now_article_pos3

I drove a forklift at a Fortune 100 last summer in a manufacturing facility. I told my contact at the Temporary Agency that if the did a "real" drug test on any given day that 75% of the workforce would fail. Including several in management. I might have actually understated the percentage.

It's bad enough that my local gun store/indoor range put a sign on the front door and the front counter stating that if you've been using any drugs at all, including prescription drugs that are mind altering, please do not ask to shoot.

If people come in smelling of marijuana, they get escorted out.

And yes, MJ is legal in Arizona, but it's not Federally, and there's even a question about it on the 4473 form you fill out to buy a gun.

I work around flammable/combustible hydrocarbons at high pressure and high temperature, and perform calculations on the same. I also work around heavy equipment that'll turn you into a red puddle in a blink of an eye. I certainly don't want to work with people who are high, drunk, or both. I also don't want to work at a place that lowers standards instead of raising pay.

quote:

Ms. Turner said some potential workers have shown up to her office smelling like the drug, and one worker who was placed by Kapstone got fired after using a vape pen in the workplace. The firm has had to counsel some workers on what is appropriate at work, Ms. Turner added.

Employers and staffing agencies shouldn't have to be teaching people this stuff. WTF do parents teach their kids these days? Rhetorical question as some kids don't stand a chance because their sperm donor and/or egg donor were oxygen thieves.

There are DOT standards for alcohol and drug testing. About 50 percent are tested once per year. Once the test is verified by an MRO the person must be seen by a Substance Abuse Professional for evaluation and possible treatment. A positive drug screen means you are suspended until the evaluation is completed.

I have no problem with random drug testing or testing with probable cause determined by the company. If you tamper with the urine or add an adulterant you are history. Driving on the road is scary enough without drug and alcohol involvment.

At this point, if they’re showing up for work I’ll give them a pass.

A buddy of mine who is in charge of buses and drivers at a pretty large school can’t find enough mechanics or drivers who can even pass a drug test. Pretty sad.

I can see this thread turning into the same situation as all of the other threads on this topic.

In the lawn care business I help run, that fact that we drug test, not just pre employment, but random as well, has drastically cut down our potential labor pool. It is hard enough to find unskilled labor that if functional enough to make you any money as an employee, but if you expect them to do things like be sober and show up every day, they pool is vanishingly small. I wouldn’t even care if they were high or drunk at home, but we can’t have it at work. It’s just too dangerous. We had one guy show up years ago high as a kite, but the crew leader didn’t notice. He almost took his leg off with a chainsaw. I don’t know if these folks don’t know how dangerous it is or don’t care, but what I do know is that a large percentage of applicants would rather wait to find an employer that doesn’t drug test than stop smoking week to get a job right away.

- Bret

We were just in NYC for some Broadway shows and every other block, the smell of weed hung in the air. Most of the cops around Times Square pretty much don't move all day. I'd reckon they get a good contact buzz just from doing their job.

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
At this point, if they’re showing up for work I’ll give them a pass.

I feel similarly. If their performance is still acceptable, then I don’t give a damn what they are putting into their body outside of work.

Remember kids:
Drugs don't ruin lives. Drug tests ruin lives.

quote:

I feel similarly. If their performance is still acceptable, then I don’t give a damn what they are putting into their body outside of work.

^^^^^^^^^^^
Pilots and doctors too? Drugs affect not only your ability to perform but cloud your judgement as well. Things need to change. In the 50s and 60s drunk driving was no big deal. That has
certainly changed.

The miliary has a zero tolerance policy, yet they still can recruit soldiers and marines.

When a formally illegal activity becomes socially acceptable and there aren't negative consequences, it makes sense that you'll see more of it. I'd hate to be an employer these days.

I stayed near LAX this week. The foyer, elevator, and main hallway reeked of pot. To the point where I called the front desk to complain.

Lawmakers feel that professions which require sound judgement (truck drivers, pilots) should have mandatory drug testing.

>Excludes themselves from testing<

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I more than agree. The United States Congress has plenty of alcohol abusers. More than the average I might add.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
I work around flammable/combustible hydrocarbons at high pressure and high temperature, and perform calculations on the same. I also work around heavy equipment that'll turn you into a red puddle in a blink of an eye. I certainly don't want to work with people who are high, drunk, or both. I also don't want to work at a place that lowers standards instead of raising pay.

Ah, all that safety blather is just a smoke screen to hide your rampant racism. Face it, you just don't want to work with any brothers. After all, I'm sure you have insurance.

Actually I think more crackers smoke weed than blacks.

The city says white New Yorkers use cannabis at a much higher rate than black and Latino people, who face most arrests for using the drug.

Trustworthy link here: https://patch.com/new-york/new...her-races-city-study

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
At this point, if they’re showing up for work I’ll give them a pass.

I feel similarly. If their performance is still acceptable, then I don’t give a damn what they are putting into their body outside of work.

That attitude still hold if they show up drunk for work but can stumble around all day doing a half assed job? Just curious where the line is.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Actually I think more crackers smoke weed than blacks.

The city says white New Yorkers use cannabis at a much higher rate than black and Latino people, who face most arrests for using the drug.

Trustworthy link here: https://patch.com/new-york/new...her-races-city-study

None of that matters. I believe tatortodd is a bit light complected (like most of us here) so its just got to be his latent racism that's motivating his comments.