More isle workers test positive for drugs
Use of marijuana, ice and cocaine is rising, a lab official says
More employees and job applicants in Hawaii are testing positive for illegal drugs, making it harder for isle employers to lure and retain drug-free workers, says an executive with a drug-testing laboratory.
"We talk to personnel managers and they express frustration," said Carl Linden, scientific director of Diagnostic Laboratory Services, the state's largest drug-testing laboratory.
In the last three months of 2005, nearly 6 percent of the people to undergo pre-employment or random workplace drug screenings tested positive for drug use, according to the laboratory's data. And use of drugs in all four categories tested were higher than in the previous quarter, company officials said.
But only marijuana showed a steady increase over the past 12 months, the company said.
According to the data:
» At 2.6 percent, marijuana continues as the most popular drug in Hawaii. In the third, or previous quarter, 2.5 percent tested positive.
» Cocaine is the least favorite at 0.4 percent, but that was up from 0.3 percent in the previous quarter.
» Use of crystal methamphetamine, or "ice," continues to hover at or just below 2 percent -- higher than the 1.7 percent in the previous quarter.
» And narcotic drug use is at 0.8 percent, which was higher than the 0.5 percent in the previous quarter.
For most of last year, Hawaii's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained below 3 percent and was the lowest in the country.
The state's tight labor market could be a reason for the increased positive drug-test results as more people enter the work force who might not be able to find employment when jobs are scarce, Linden said.
This has forced employers to adjust their drug-use policies, he added.
"Some companies have terminated drug testing," Linden said, because even though the number of employees who test positive is small, they represent a large percentage of workers in small companies.
He also said some companies will reconsider an applicant for employment six months after being rejected for a positive drug test.
Linden said Diagnostic Laboratory Services tests 8,000 to 9,000 people every three months for more than 700 local businesses.
The company also does drug screenings for some state and county government agencies, state courts and treatment centers. About 70 percent of the drug tests are of job applicants, Linden said.