Positive Results for Pre-Employment Drug Testing Rose 5.7% in First Half of 2012

Positive pre-employment urine drug screening in the United States rose 5.7 percent in the first half of 2012, compared with all of 2011, according to a survey by Quest Diagnostics, a medical lab research company.

In contrast, the positive rate from random drug testing in the general workforce decreased 5.8 percent, The Huffington Post reports.

“Employers are having some difficulty finding employees who can pass their drug tests,” said Dr. Barry Sample, Director of Science and Technology for Quest.

The drug most commonly used by job applicants continues to be marijuana, followed by amphetamines. The survey found 2 percent of the 3.4 million urine drug tests were positive for marijuana, compared with 0.86 percent for amphetamines. Dr. Sample said the company found no correlation between states that have decriminalized or legalized marijuana, and positivity rates for pre-employment drug tests.