Evidence shows COVID-19 has been worsening America’s drug problem. In a CDC survey of US adults, 13% of respondents said in late June 2020 that they had started or increased substance use to cope with pandemic-related stress or emotions. Recent statistics suggest that 70% of Americans who use illegal drugs are employed, and that a significant percentage of this drug usage either occurs at work or employees are high when they arrive at their workplace.
Saliva-based testing is a simpler, more convenient testing approach than urine – and is also better suited to the pandemic environment. Saliva testing eliminates the need for employees to go off-site and decreases the likelihood of tampered samples. Based on decades of success with saliva-based drug testing in the insurance industry, the Federal government is actively reforming its drug testing policies to allow for more widespread saliva testing.
Included in this Intelligence Brief:
- The importance of creating a substance-free work environment
- How to implement a substance-free work environment
- Why saliva is emerging as the sample of choice
- What saliva-based testing options are available?
