Amphetamine use down among US workers

Amphetamine use, which includes amphetamine and methamphetamine, declined significantly among general US workforce employees during 2005, according to the semi-annual Drug Testing Index, released June 19 by Quest Diagnostics, a provider of employer drug testing services in the USA.

The 2005 Drug Testing Index summarizes the results of workplace drug tests performed by Quest Diagnostics between January and December 2005. Federally-mandated, safety-sensitive workers include pilots, bus and truck drivers and workers in nuclear power plants, for whom routine drug testing is mandated by the US Department of Transportation and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

In 2005, the incidence of amphetamines drug-test positives declined 8% to 0.48% of all drug tests of general US workforce employees that identify amphetamines use. During 2004 amphetamines drug-test positives were 0.52%. Among federally-mandated, safety-sensitive workers, the positivity rate for amphetamines rose 13% to 0.35% in 2005 from 0.31% in 2004