In the past five years, there has been a 43 per cent increase in UK employees testing positive for drugs. Drug use was identified in 3.23 per cent of the employees tested in 2011, rising from 2.26 per cent in 2007.
There are 29.23 million[1] people in employment in the UK. If the current 3.23 per cent positivity rate from the report is extrapolated for the UK population, 940,000 British employees have drugs in their system whilst at work at any point in time.
The most prevalent drugs used by UK employees are cannabis, opiates (excluding heroin), and cocaine.
Dr. Claire George, Laboratory Director at Concateno comments: "The positivity rate of 3.23% reported in this study demonstrates that drug use in the workplace is an issue that employers should be aware of. These are conservative figures across the workplace, when you consider how many companies do not have a screening programme in place. Concateno has seen an increase in the number of businesses seeking assistance with drug and alcohol screening programmes, in order to identify, deter and reduce the risks associated with drug use in the workplace."
Class 'A' drugs
The data indicates that 25-34 year-olds are more likely to test positive for Class A drugs including cocaine and amphetamines. This means that Class A drug use peaks a few years after entering the workplace rather than at the start of a career. Class A drugs can be expensive, and having more disposable income makes drugs like cocaine and amphetamines more affordable.
Cocaine
Following a peak in 2008, cocaine use dropped off with the lowest usage level by UK employees in 2009. However, usage has increased year on year since.
Dr. George concludes: "Drug screening programmes are a good way of identifying potential drug related issues in the workplace. The introduction of a balanced policy which includes an Employee Assistance Programme providing support and education, as well as drug testing, has been proven to reduce the level of substance misuse in the workplace over time. "
The High Society Report
The research report details the results of 1,668,330 drug tests which have been conducted by Concateno's laboratories on behalf of 856 UK employers over a five year period (2007-2011) to measure drug usage levels amongst UK employees. Concateno's report aims to paint a clearer picture of the drug usage amongst UK workers and educate employers, Government and industry bodies about the issue which is increasing in scale year on year.
[1] Office for National Statistics, Employment figures, May 2012 http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/may-2012/index.html
