Pubdate: Wed, 07 Oct 2015
Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI)
Copyright: 2015 Star Advertiser
Contact: 
http://www.staradvertiser.com/info/Star-Advertiser_Letter_to_the_Editor.html
Website: http://www.staradvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5154
Author: Kristen Consillio
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

DRUG TESTING SNAGS FEWER EMPLOYEES IN THIRD QUARTER

Hawaii workers testing positive for crystal meth and marijuana 
decreased in the third quarter, though more people tried to use 
synthetic urine to mask drug use in the workplace.

Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc., which conducts drug tests for 
between 7,000 and 10,000 workers, said meth, or "ice," use was down 
to 0.7 percent in the quarter from 0.9 percent in year-earlier 
period, according to a quarterly report released Tuesday. Marijuana 
use also dropped to 2.2 percent from 2.8 percent. Cocaine use 
remained flat at 0.3 percent, while positive opiate results fell 
slightly to 0.2 percent from 0.3 percent.

"What we're seeing is probably not close to what the actual usage is 
out there," said Carl Linden, DLS scientific director of toxicology. 
"We're going with the assumptions that most people know that they 
will be drug-tested. Drugs are only detectable in the body for one to 
four days in the case of meth, so it's a really narrow window to test 
for the drugs."

However, positive results for synthetic urine were the highest since 
2012, up to 1 percent from 0.8 percent in the third quarter of 2014.

"Though workforce ice usage in Hawaii has stabilized, we should not 
lose sight of the fact that we are still approximately four times 
above the mainland average among workers being tested," Linden said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom