Editorial: A closer look at the Drug-Free Work Week

I find it at once encouraging and ironic that the U.S. Department of Labor has proclaimed the week of October 16-22 as the first-ever “Drug-Free Work Week.” Encouraging because even though there are “special weeks” designated for an almost infinite number of causes, events and projects, this particular special week serves the purpose of acknowledging that drug and alcohol use in the workplace remains a chronic problem across America. The ironic part is that so few people know just how serious and widespread the problem is.

For anyone not aware of the scope of the workplace drug problem in the United States, consider this: Just in monetary terms, the damage equates to well over $140 billion. But the human toll is even greater. Data from the 2004 National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health indicates that 110 million Americans age 12 or older (46 percent of the population) reported that they had used an illicit drug at least once in their lifetime; 15 percent reported use of a drug within the past year; 8 percent reported use of a drug within the past month; and nearly 10 percent of U.S. workers are drug dependent. I would say every week should be Drug-Free Work Week, wouldn’t you?

With drug abuse, especially the unauthorized use of prescription drugs, on the rise, the situation is literally becoming more lethal. The need for effective drug-free workplace programs and drug tests that can both immediately and accurately expose those who have drugs in their system, yet also serve as an effective general deterrent to drug use has never been greater.

While America is not alone with the drug problem, the fact that we consume 60 percent of the world’s illicit drugs – yet represent less than 5 percent of the world’s population – speaks volumes. What companies are grappling with is how to adequately monitor drug abuse without infringing upon privacy issues. Complicating the issue, the most widespread method of drug testing today, lab-based urinalysis, is widely acknowledged to be far from efficient. Another complication is that those who abuse drugs, whether adults or teenagers, often know the “tricks of the trade” for passing the test – from purchasing someone else’s urine to drinking a special herbal cocktail that will mask the presence of the drug. Go to your favorite online search engine, type in “how to pass a drug test,” and thousands of sites will come up instantly, all eager to help you do exactly that, whether for a fee or even for free.

Enabling technologies empower corporations to deploy random drug screening, which is known to be the most effective means of deterring workplace drug abuse. My company, Avitar Technologies, an oral fluid diagnostics and clinical testing firm, is attempting to help change the status quo with ORALscreen, the world's first non-invasive, rapid, on-site oral fluid test for drugs-of-abuse. The OralScreen DRUGOMETER is easy to use as a thermometer and detects workplace drug abuse in a way that is convenient, accurate and cost-effective.

Gallop surveys indicate that more than 90 percent of employers – as well as high school and college students – approve of random drug screening. Nonetheless, senior management typically does not recognize they have a problem, or is of the mistaken belief that random drug screening is too difficult for them to implement. In the meantime, the federal government continues to spend billions of taxpayer dollars on legal sanctions, interdiction and educational programs such as DARE that simply don’t work, while U.S. companies in all sectors — from construction and manufacturing, to retail and hospitality, among other industries — continue to lose the more than $140 billion annually … and emergency room visits due to drug abuse are at an all-time high.

Drug abuse in American society deserves much more widespread attention. Let me not look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say: A dedicated week of its own each year is a good start. Once attention is paid, let’s hope for widespread adoption of what really works to help eliminate drug use in the workplace once and for all – namely, random testing with oral fluids. 

About the author:

Pete Philidius is the chief executive officer of Avitar Technologies Inc. To learn more, call 781-821-2440 or visit www.avitarinc.com.