An ailing American economy has forced employers to reassess their attitude towards the issue of drug abuse. Even if a business owner is not philosophically opposed to employees using drugs, it’s in their best financial interest to utilize employee drug testing. After examining the economics of the situation, one thing is clear: drug use by employees definitively costs employers money in a variety of ways.

There are approximately 14.8 million drug users in the United States, and more than 3/4 of them hold jobs. Data from government studies has shown that drug users are “almost four times as likely to be involved in a workplace accident as sober workers, and five times as likely to file a workers’ compensation claim. Employees who use drugs also miss more days of work, are late more often and leave jobs without an explanation at a greater rate. These factors can wreak havoc on a business owner’s bottom line, costing them huge portions of profit in lost productivity, workman’s compensation claims, and property damage. A standard drug test, whether it be a urinalysis or hair follicle test costs as little as $2 per person and can significantly reduce the occurrence of drug use by employees.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/business/worldbusiness/10iht-users.4.5654684.html