Just doing some reading about drug testing (imagine that) and the numbers that are associated with it. The preferred laboratory for TSS is Quest Diagnostics. We’ve used them for a number of years for their great testing protocals, but also because of their research section. In 2009 Quest conducted a study of more than 5.5 million urine sample. 3.6% of those test were POSITIVE for at least one illicit drug. It is interesting to see the numbers and see the comparisons from 1999 to 2009. For instance, marijuana use dropped in 2009 to 43.7% from 62.2% in 1999. Opiates increased from 7.5% in 1999 to 20.1% in 2009! Amphetmamine use in 1999 was 4.5% and in 2009 was 13.1%.                      

The opiate category shows significant increases. The drugs included in that category are : methadone, propoxyphene, oxycodone, some other opiates.

What does all this mean? It is clear that prescription drug use is on the rise. Is it in your workforce? The above data was mined from EMPLOYED WORKER tests submitted to Quest for screening. The samples were submitted from a cross section of workers, including safety sensitive employees. Clearly, employers should take a good look a their drug screening program for improvement. You don’t have program? Then RUN, don’t stroll to TSS, Inc and talk to us. The TSS staff specializes in getting your company on track within legal guidelines. While most folks think EXPENSE, drug screening actually saves you money in lost productivity and worker comp claims. Using a return on investment calculator, we can give you the dollar amount that drug screening will save your company. You cannot afford to miss out on this key savings in your bank account. Simply put, drug testing saves you money and heartache.