Warehousing and Transportation Industry sees a Spike in Positive Drug Tests

Quest Diagnostics has recently released a report that shows Transportation and Warehousing workers have had positive drug tests increase by double-digits over the last two years.

This is just one of the surprising developments in drug testing in the workplace, where facts don’t always match perceptions. For example, when asked to guess which industry had the biggest percentage of workers high on drugs, Food and Beverage topped the list. But in actuality, it’s Retail. And while retail did see a 12.8% increase in Quest’s statistics, Transportation and Warehousing nearly doubled that, with a 21.4% increase.

However, it’s always helpful to break this statistic further.

Marijuana positivity was the most detected substance in all the tests, and jumped by 33% within the positive results. This is not surprising as the drug, while still technically illegal at the federal level, enjoys more and more legality depending on which state you’re in and whether you have a medical condition or not. Marijuana seems to be able to treat a wide variety of medical conditions, but also can impair your judgement, cause elevated heart rate, and some studies suggest long-term use can lead to lung cancer.

Coming in second place was cocaine use, which spiked 22%. Cocaine can cause feelings of euphoria and make the user more energetic and talkative, but can also cause side effects of anxiety, panic, paranoia and erratic behavior. Life-threatening side effects like heart attacks can also result, even in young and otherwise healthy individuals.

A final large chunk of drugs taken were amphetamines and methamphetamines, with a 16% jump. While these substances can be prescribed for ADHD or Obesity they’re often used illictly. They can elicit feelings of excitement, increased attentiveness and feelings of energy, but are also extremely addictive and can cause compulsive drug-seeking behavior and cravings, violent behavior, and hallucinations.

This is why so many companies have committed to a drug-free workplace. 56% of U.S. Employers require pre-employment drug tests, and those companies that do maintain a successful drug-free environment report improvements in morale, productivity, and decreases in absenteeism and turnover.

Nationwide Drug Testing Services is one of the largest accredited drug testing networks in the U.S. We offer testing in every state Nationwide, for affordable, Same-Day-Appointment Drug Testing and Fast, Accurate results.

Our staff is not only understanding and considerate, but knowledgeable as well. From the moment you contact us, you can expect to deal with a professional, well-trained Representative who will be with you throughout the entire process.

Call us today at 877.497.1002 or Order a Test Online!