An Analysis of Worker Drug Use and Workplace Policies and Programs

7.3 Directions for Future Research

The results provided in this report raise a number of important questions about worker illicit drug and heavy alcohol use and workplace programs and policies that are designed to address use of these substances. For example, why are there higher rates of current illicit drug use among employees of smaller size establishments? Is this indicative of the types of workers employed in occupations or industries that tend to operate as smaller establishments? Does it relate to the types of workers attracted to smaller size establishments or the paucity of drug testing programs, written policies, and access to EAPS in these establishments? Furthermore, what can be done to increase the prevalence of drug- and alcohol-related information, written policies, and EAP programs available at smaller establishments? Since a large number of current illicit drug users reported working in small establishments, a substantial proportion of full-time workers who use illicit drugs is not covered by or aware of these programs and benefits. Finally, given the growing number of firms that utilize employee drug testing programs (see American Management Association, 1996; Hartwell et al., 1996), what specific components should testing programs cover if they are to detect the types of drug or alcohol use that are most risky for workplace safety and most damaging to productivity, yet also be cost-effective for the company? The NHSDA data show that, other factors being equal, workers who reported current illicit drug use were less likely than those who reported no use to be employed at a workplace that tests employees for drug use, especially when testing is conducted at hiring or randomly. However, this result says little about the most suitable targets for drug testing programs and whether existing programs are reaching these targets effectively. In order to develop effective policies to deal with the substance use issues raised here, future research should investigate these questions using a combination of workplace-based and worker-based surveys to refine our understanding of the associations explored in this report.

This page was last updated on June 03, 2008.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.