Things Change – Part 2

(Fall 2016) One year ago Working Partners® shared critical information about a number of societal problems impacting an employer’s drug-free workplace program:

• the increasing number of positive workplace drug tests
• the alarming rate of prescription (Rx) drug abuse
• marijuana legalization initiatives sweeping the country

The pace and velocity of these changes were unprecedented.

Fast forward 12 months and the rate of rapid change seems to be the only thing that’s remained constant in the drug-free workplace arena. In the 25 plus years Working Partners® has been serving the business community, never has there been a more crucial need for employers to monitor these changes and take action. Their drug-free workplace policies and practices need to be reviewed and updated.

The rate of positive workplace tests is increasing. Again.

Except for a slight increase in 2003, the rate of positive workplace drug tests steadily and significantly decreased since the late 1980s. Until recently that is. In 2013, the rate of positive tests increased and has not stopped since – with the rate of positive tests reaching a 10 year high in 2015:

• 2013 – 4.3% increase in the rate of positive tests from the year prior
• 2014 – an additional 9.3% increase
• 2015 – an additional 2.6% increase

The culprits? Amphetamines, marijuana and heroin have each increased annually for the past five years. In a press release accompanying the most recent data from Quest Diagnostics’ Drug Testing Index™(DTI), Barry Sample, Ph.D., senior director at Quest Diagnostics shared, “Our nationally representative analysis clearly shows that drug use by the American workforce is on the rise, and this trend extends to several different classes of drugs and categories of drug tests.”

Another concerning trend is the increased number of positive tests following workplace accidents. Since 2011 the rate of positive post-accident tests increased 30%.

With this overwhelming evidence of increased use coupled with a low rate of unemployment (Ohio is at 4.7% as of August 2016), many employers are challenged to hire and keep drug-free employees. Companies have considered various strategies including

• dropping drug testing of employees entirely
• dropping pre-employment testing only in reaction to the applicant shortage
• allowing drug-abusing job seekers to retest in a few weeks without asking for any proof that the applicant sought professional help
• referring an employee after a first positive test for help

Any tactic that passes a user along with no accountability to a neighboring business down the street perpetuates the problems.

Heroin is filling a void

Prescription drug abuse has actually eased a bit, but the prevalence of workplace heroin use is skyrocketing.

Last year, Working Partners® shared numerous statistics about the prevalence of prescription drug abuse and the related impact on employers. While that problem still exists, numerous initiatives have had a positive impact. Ohio’s diverse efforts over the past six years have shown marked progress in combatting the problem. For example, since the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation implemented a pharmacy management program in 2011 the total opioid doses for injured workers has declined 41%, and the average daily opioid load per injured worker in 2015 was below the 2003 level.

On the national level, there is evidence of progress, as well. For example, the DTI survey illustrates that the oxycodone positive rate has declined annually since 2011.

Unfortunately, taking the place of prescription abuse, the rate of heroin use (whose “high” is akin to that offered by prescription pain meds) is increasing. Employees testing positive for heroin has increased 146% since 2011 according to the DTI. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that heroin use jumped 63% between 2012 and 2013, with some of the greatest increases occurring in demographic groups with “historically low rates of heroin use: women, the privately insured, and people with higher incomes.”

Anecdotally, Working Partners® is experiencing a marked increase in the number of clients calling in for assistance with heroin-abusing employees. Unprecedented change.

Medical marijuana is now legal in Ohio.

In November 2015 Ohio voters rejected an initiative to legalize marijuana for both personal and medical use. In the following eight months, legislators took steps in an attempt to thwart another citizen-led initiative from hitting the 2016 ballot. They heard testimony, drafted legislation and passed a medical marijuana bill — Ohio House Bill (HB) 523. With this, Ohio became the 25th state to legalize marijuana and offer some protections for employers, which the 2015 ballot initiative did not.

Based on what other states have experienced after legalizing marijuana, Ohio will likely see an overall societal increase of use. As reported in a newly-released study, The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado (Volume 4), the top 10 states with the highest rates of current marijuana use were all medical-marijuana states. In Colorado alone (whose laws permit both recreational and medical use), past-month marijuana use among adults in 2013-2014 was 104% higher than the national average and 51% higher in 2011-2012 (when only medical use was legal). Another new study, the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, reported a continued increase in marijuana use among 18 – 25-year-olds.

And is it showing up at the workplace? Almost half of the employees with a positive test in 2015 tested positive for marijuana, and the rate of positives in this drug category has increased by 26% since 2011.

The prevalence of drug tests positive for marijuana and the anticipated increase in adult marijuana use as a result of Ohio’s new HB 523 is alarming.

Stay the course.

There’s one thing that hasn’t changed much since last year’s report on current drug trends, Working Partners® encouragement of employers to take action to adjust for and circumvent the ever-changing world of alcohol and other drug abuse:

1. Stay current on the business impact of new drug trends. (Working Partners® does constant leg-work for you and publishes new information constantly in our monthly e-blasts. Not on the distribution list? Asked to be added at Mail@WorkingPartners.com.Also, be sure you’ve also received and implemented our HB. 523 Marijuana Coaching Package to position your company in light of marijuana legalization.

2. Maintain a fluid and responsive DFWP program with these practices
   • Review and update your policy to address changes in state and federal law.
   • Enhance your testing specifications to match current drug abuse trends.
   • Aggressively educate employees and train supervisors about the issues, your expectations of them on the job and what they can do in their families to prevent substance abuse.
   • Give information about helping resources to employees struggling with abuse (even those you are forced to terminate).

   (You can give us a call – 614.337.8200 – if you need help.)

3. And finally, invest in the health and viability of your business community by connecting with other businesses around this issue. Working Partners® has been asked by the state of Ohio to work with 20 communities to address the economic threat of substance abuse by employees and job seekers in our state. Be on the look-out for an initiative coming to your area!

Change is the new normal. And employers, this means it’s not “business as usual” for your drug-free workplace policies and programs. Keep alert, be proactive, and rely on us as we work to keep you informed and ready.