A report from researchers at The Ohio State University shows about 9% of U.S. workers in their early 30s use alcohol, marijuana or hard drugs while at work, according to Construction Dive.
The risk for substance use was highest among workers in food preparation, service and safety-sensitive occupations, including construction, which had a higher risk of alcohol and marijuana use.
The study surveyed more than 5,000 employees who participated in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, which included individuals between ages 12-17 in 1997 and followed them through 2022. The surveys were conducted by Ohio State’s Center for Human Resource Research, and the study focused on survey data from 2015-16.
Among workers who reported substance use immediately before or during a work shift during the past month, 5.6% said they drank alcohol, 3.1% used marijuana and 0.8% took cocaine, opioids or other hard drugs.
A 2023 study found comprehensive workplace substance use policies, including recovery-friendly options, were linked to a significant decrease in employee alcohol and drug use. In another 2023 study, Sehun Oh, an associate professor of social work at The Ohio State University, found availability of workplace support services led to lower rates of marijuana use and other illicit drug use.
“Our research shows that those under adverse working conditions with many barriers to economic and well-being resources tend to use substances as a coping mechanism, whether that relates to an emotional toll or physical demands of not just working conditions, but their life circumstances,” Oh said. “There is a need for more structural support to address these huge implications for the health of workers and others, and to reduce the stigma associated with substance use.”
A Quest Diagnostics report shows although drug test positivity fell slightly for safety-sensitive workers, they also had a greater increase in drug test cheating attempts; cheating rose more than six-fold in 2023, reaching the highest rate in 30 years. Additionally, Quest Diagnostics reports marijuana test positivity after a job accident reached a 25-year high in 2022, which corresponds with the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in some states.
