Over 1 million Brits working with drugs in their system

GulfNews, more than 1 million Brits are going to work with drugs in their system. The study states that around one in 30 employees tested at work last year had taken narcotics, with the most commonly-used drugs being cannabis, opiates and cocaine, figures from a drug-testing firm have revealed. Drug-use among employees was up 43 per cent from 2007, rising to 3.23 per cent of the workforce last year.

The country’s most senior police officer told employers earlier this year to consider drug-testing middle-class professionals to help stem Britain’s spiralling cocaine trade.

Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said affluent workers are fuelling the £1 billion (Dh5.76 billion) annual market in the drug. He claimed that many of them are working in roles, including surgeons, teachers and drivers, where cocaine use risks lives. The latest figures come from an analysis of 1.7 million tests carried out by the company Concateno for 856 UK employers, including public transport firms, freight hauliers and the emergency services. Its laboratory director, Dr Claire George, said: “These are conservative figures when you consider how many companies do not have a screening programme in place.” Many businesses in the UK still don’t employ screening programs, but more and more are seeking help on setting them up. The government is desperate to stem the cocaine trade in the drug because it is co-ordinated by powerful gangs and fuels low-level crime. The total size of Britain’s drugs market is estimated at £6 billion a year, with up to 30 tonnes of cocaine, worth up to £1 billion, imported annually. Can the USA relate? Although the US employment industry is different from that in Britain in many ways, the fundamental aspects of drugs in the workplace and employment screening remain the same. People use drugs – that’s a fact of life. It is also a fact that many users require a job to afford to pay for their drug use. Those are issues that you can’t change. What you can influence, however, is whether these individuals are employees at your business. By implementing a proper employment screening program, you can keep your workforce drug-free and productive. For information on how to get started, get in touch today.]]>