Less cocaine, methamphetamine found in worker drug tests

Published 10:23 pm Thursday, May 14, 2009

Cocaine and methamphetamine use among U.S. employees and job applicants dropped sharply in 2008, while positive tests for amphetamine showed an uptick, according to a recent study.

The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index, based on 5.7 million urine drug tests, found that cocaine use fell 30 percent, methamphetamine use fell about 21 percent and amphetamine use jumped more than 12 percent from last year.

Quest’s Barry Sample said the recent spike in amphetamine could indicate increased use of a prescription drug to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Meanwhile, the drop in cocaine use could be credited to efforts of law enforcement, which have driven up prices and reduced availability, Sample said.

The Associated Press