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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: A million UK employees have drugs in system at work Tessa Norman Health and Insurance Protection Monday 02 Jul 2012 Almost a million UK employees have drugs in their system at any one time in the workplace, according to a research report published today. The report, by European drug and alcohol screening provider Concateno, reveals a 43% increase in UK employees testing positive for drugs. Drug use was identified in 3.23% of the workers tested in 2011, up from 2.26% in 2007. Extrapolating that rate for the UK population, which has 29.23 million people in work, means some 940,000 British employees have drugs in their system in the workplace. The most prevalent drugs used by UK employees are cannabis, opiates (excluding heroin), and cocaine. Nick Tomkins, senior health and wellness consultant at JLT Benefit Solutions, said drug and alcohol testing is not usually covered under standard health screening programmes, but employers can offer it as a bespoke occupational health solution if they feel it is particularly relevant. He said: "There has been an increase in the number of companies – particularly those in industries such as manufacturing – who have a zero tolerance approach to alcohol, but this is still a niche area, possibly because there is not much data available on the impact of alcohol and drugs on things like sickness absence. "The more research that comes out like this the more employers will look into it, and as a result we may see the products become more accessible too." Dr. Claire George, laboratory director at Concateno, said: "The positivity rate of 3.23% reported in this study demonstrates that drug use in the workplace is an issue that employers should be aware of. "These are conservative figures across the workplace, when you consider how many companies do not have a screening programme in place. Concateno has seen an increase in the number of businesses seeking assistance with drug and alcohol screening programmes, in order to identify, deter and reduce the risks associated with drug use in the workplace." The findings, part of the High Society: Drug Prevalence in the UK workplace research report, are derived from the results of over 1.6 million UK workplace drug tests over the last five years. http://www.hi-mag.com/health-insurance/product-area/occupational-health/article402085.ece
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