9 to five? Extra like 9 to 4:20.
Marijuana use amongst US staff reached “historic” highs in 2022, in keeping with research findings launched Thursday by Quest Diagnostics.
The lab firm analyzed over 6 million basic workforce urine exams in 2022, figuring out 4.3% have been optimistic for hashish, up from 3.9% in 2021.
That represents the very best variety of marijuana-positive check outcomes ever recorded by Quest, which started analyzing office drug-testing knowledge in 1988.
Quest additionally discovered that 7.3% of staff who had suffered a office damage examined optimistic for marijuana in 2022, up from 6.7% in 2021 — marking the very best positivity fee in 25 years.
“This historic rise appears to correspond with sharp will increase in positivity for marijuana in each pre-employment and post-accident drug exams, suggesting that altering societal attitudes about marijuana could also be impacting office behaviors,” Keith Ward, basic supervisor and vp for employer options at Quest, mentioned in a press release.
In response to Quest, the industries that noticed the best improve of their positivity charges over the previous 5 years are: hospitality and meals companies (up 42.9%); retail (42.6%); and finance/insurance coverage (38.5%).
And whereas marijuana was the drug most frequently found within the drug exams, exams additionally got here again optimistic for amphetamines — rising from 1.3% in 2021 to 1.5% final yr.
“The rise in amphetamines positivity can be notable, given the addictive potential and well being dangers related to this class of medicine,” Ward mentioned, stating that the corporate’s amphetamines knowledge doesn’t differentiate between prescribed drugs and illicit drug use.
Dr. Suhash Harwani, senior director of science for employer options at Quest, famous the correlation between the positivity charges and states which have legalized leisure and medical marijuana.
Twenty-two states, two territories and the District of Columbia have enacted measures to control hashish for grownup non-medical use, whereas 38 states, three territories and DC enable the medical use of hashish merchandise, in keeping with the Nationwide Convention of State Legislatures.
“Within the basic U.S. workforce, states which have legalized leisure and medical marijuana use exhibit larger positivity charges than the nationwide common. States that haven’t legalized marijuana seem to have positivity charges beneath the nationwide averages,” Harwani mentioned in a press release.