Report: More Workers Just Say No (NAPSA)—Asefforts to control drug abuse across the U.S. con- tinue to make important progress, a new study shows that drug use among American workers has “dramatically” dropped. The study tracked sharp downward trends in cocaine and methamphetamine use over a four-year period among workers and job applicants. Results were based on drug testing of hair specimens and urine specimens, allowing scientists to gain a better short- and long-term understanding of employee drug use. Testing of urine specimens can detect a single instance of drug use in the prior one to three days, while hair testing can detect a pattern of repetitive use over a period of up to 90 days. “Hair has a longer memory than urine whenit comes to finding patterns of drug use,” says Barry Sample, Ph.D., director of science and technology at Quest Diagnostics’ Employer Solutions division. Indeed, while the report showed an overall downward trend in drug use, Dr. Sample says comparing hair and urine results also revealed that there is more drug abuse among workers than indicated by urine tests alone. “A person’s urine test results can be negative for a drug if he hasn’t used drugs in the past few days. But a hair test shows if he has used in the past three monthsor so. Hair tests are revealing positive results A report found that drug use is down among American workers. that urine tests do not show.” Employers that implement drug testing programsdo so for a variety of reasons, most often to protect the health and well-being of employees and avert business risk associated with drug-induced judgments. Urine testing is the most common drug-screening method, but hair testing—a newer technology—has been experiencing gradual adoption over the past decade. “Employers are finding that, like random urine drugtesting, hair testing may be serving as a powerful deterrent to worker drug use,” says Dr. Sample. For more information, visit www.questdiagnostics.com or call 800-877-7484. There is a drug testing program ROI calculator available online at www. employersolutions.com/roi or call 800-877-7484.
