Date: August 25, 2020
Read time: 5 Minutes
Quest Diagnostics, a leader in workplace drug testing, reported that positive drug tests reached a 16-year high in 2019. Notable increases were seen in positive test results for cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. Marijuana continues to be the most commonly detected drug in U.S. workplace drug testing. Dr. Barry Sample, the senior director for science and technology at Quest Diagnostics noted that the Quest data supports the need to, “…remain vigilant about all drug misuse in the workplace.”
Overall, positive test results for marijuana in the U.S. workplace have increased 29 percent from 2015 to 2019 nationally. Regional marijuana increases, from 2018 to 2019, were seen most prominently in the Midwest (14 percent) and West (24 percent). Based on nearly 18 million workplace drug tests, the “Accommodations and Food Service” workforce recorded the highest positive marijuana test rate between 2015 and 2019.