Workplace drug use increases

marijuana - drug warriorsGisborne Herald 9 March 2017
Family First Comment: “Pre-employment drug testing is the first line of defence for any employer to ensure no potential employee is at risk of putting themselves or others in danger in the workplace through substance use.”
Imagine if it was legal!
#saynopetodope
THE rate of Gisborne people unable to pass pre-employment and workplace drug tests because of “meth” use has more than doubled over the past year.
And the results for more than half of people asked to take random tests at work showed drug use of some sort.
A TDDA spokesman said data compiled by the Drug Detection Agency shows that last year Gisborne experienced a huge increase in results indicating the presence of methamphetamine.
“In relation to meth non-negative results, Gisborne has had a huge increase, with the 2016 figure jumping to 13.6 percent (as opposed to 5.3 percent in 2015).
“Non-negative indicates the presence of drugs from an initial screening. These screens are then sent to a laboratory for confirmation.
“In Gisborne, we have also seen a large increase in the amount of random drug testing being carried out,” the TDDA spokesman said.
“In 2015, the percentage of tests that were coded as random tests was 31.8 percent. In 2016, this jumped to 41.1 percent.
“This is a positive sign and shows that the employers are taking the risks of drugs in the workplace seriously.
“The number of non-negative results from reasonable cause testing has also increased from 40 percent in 2015 to 55 percent in 2016.”

Positive

But that should be seen in a positive light as it showed employers had identified drug issues in the workplace and acted accordingly.
Social Development Minister and East Coast MP Anne Tolley said the figures echoed what employers had been telling her.

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