Positive Drug Tests Among US Workers Higher Than In Last 20 Years; Does That Include Cannabis?

Which of these is correct? The number of cannabis consumers has increased or more people have stopped concealing their consumption as marijuana legalization spreads across the United States? 

Perhaps both are true, considering that the percentage of working Americans who tested positive for drugs reached a two-decade high in 2021, led by positive cannabis tests, reported by the Wall Street Journal. 

The other element that points to the possibility that fewer people are hiding their marijuana use is that many businesses have relaxed their drug screening policies due to the labor shortages across the country. 

More THC-Positive Employees 

Out of more than six million general workforce urine tests done by Quest Diagnostics DGX checked for marijuana in 2021, 3.9% were positive, an increase higher than 8% year-over-year. 

More importantly, that makes for a 50% increase since 2017. In those four years, 10 more states plus the District of Columbia legalized recreational cannabis markets. 

Dr. Barry Sample, Quest’s senior science consultant noted that in spite of higher positive drug tests last year, fewer companies are screening their employees for THC, compared to previous years. Last year, even tech giant Amazon AMZN came out in support of marijuana legalization and announced it will stop testing for workplace cannabis use in most positions. 

With more and more states legalizing the plant, changes in public attitudes toward marijuana are inevitable. 

 “We’ve been seeing year-over-year declines in those recreational-use states, but by far the largest drop we’ve ever seen was in 2021,” Dr. Sample told the WSJ about the number of tests that screened for THC.

Fewer Tests

From 2020 to 2021, the number of samples tested for THC dropped by 6.7% across the nation, while in states with adult-use marijuana markets that figure declined by 10.3%. 

 “We certainly heard from some of our employer customers that they were having difficulty finding qualified workers to pass the drug test,” Sample noted of pre-employment tests for THC, especially in states where cannabis is legal. 

In general, the number of American workers who tested positive for various drugs jumped to 4.6%, which is the highest score in 20 years, according to Quest. 

Relaxing Drug Testing Policies 

Tammy Turner, co-owner of Kapstone Employment Services, a Detroit-based staffing agency noted that Kapstone had to encourage regional employers to relax their THC-testing policies for various positions, during the COVID pandemic and the related labor shortages. 

 “So many of our clients were adamant, in pre-Covid, that they would not accept anyone that could not pass a drug test, even if it was THC,” Turner said. “We had to encourage some of them to reassess their policy, and they did, and we were able to fill many of those jobs as a result.”

Naturally, Kapstone respects federal policy and continues to test for THC and other drugs for those who apply for specific positions like operating heavy machinery for example. 

Kerry Buffington, co-owner of the company, confirmed that in spite of not having to deal with as many labor shortages, most of the companies they work with have not chosen to go back to their pre-pandemic hiring policies.    

Younger Generations Going Too Far 

More importantly, according to Turner, marijuana use has almost become mainstream among young workers, with some of the applicants coming to her office smelling like weed.  One employee, placed by Kapstone, was fired after using a vape pen in the workplace. 

According to, Chris Layden, senior vice president at ManpowerGroup, removal of cannabis testing is among the most common steps businesses are taking to increase their workforce. ManpowerGroup projects that drug testing eliminates up to 5% of applicants. The company also noted that many industries, except for financial services and federally regulated businesses, have revoked marijuana testing requirements. 

Photo: Courtesy of CDC on Unsplash