Pubdate: Wed, 17 Oct 2001
Source: Oklahoman, The (OK)
Copyright: 2001 The Oklahoma Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.oklahoman.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318
Author: Reuters Health

CASUAL DRUG USE DOES NOT AFFECT EMPLOYMENT

NEW YORK, Oct 16 (Reuters Health) - A controversial new study finds that 
casual illicit drug use has no effect on employment status and suggests 
that employer-based treatment programs should focus on chronic "problem" 
drug users rather than all users.

The study, based on data from the 1997 National Household Survey on Drug 
Abuse, concludes that casual users -- who say they have used drugs no more 
than once a week over the past year -- are as likely to look for work or 
hold a job as those who say they use no drugs at all.

Chronic drug abuse, similar to chronic alcohol abuse, was confirmed to 
reduce the likelihood of holding a job, according to the report published 
in the October issue of the Southern Economic Journal.

The findings may help employers develop more effective employee drug abuse 
assistance and drug testing programs, according to researchers led by Dr. 
Michael T. French of the University of Miami, Florida.

Some have expressed doubt that a distinction between casual and chronic 
drug use in the workplace is helpful.

"I don't think any parent would want their child's school bus driver to use 
drugs whether it was casually or chronically," Rafael Lemaitre, spokesman 
for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told Reuters 
Health.

According to a recent analysis of workplace injuries quoted by Lemaitre, 
one sixth of workers involved in fatal accidents tested positive for 
alcohol, cocaine or marijuana. "It would be impossible to tell if these 
were casual or chronic drug users.

"In terms of workplace accidents, it does not matter if the drug user is 
hard core or casual. The damage has already been done," he continued. 
"People who use drugs miss work, have lower productivity and have 
accidents. Fourteen billion dollars are lost annually in the United States 
because of drug use on the job."

The authors of the study suggest that employers designing drug abuse 
assistance strategies focus on problem drug users in the same way they 
focus on problem drinkers.

The results also suggest that women who are chronic drug users are just as 
likely to seek work as those who use drugs casually or not at all. The 
investigators speculate that, when compared with men, there may be other 
factors specific to women that overshadow drug use when deciding to look 
for work.

The Substance Abuse Policy Research Program of the Robert Wood Johnson 
Foundation funded the study.

Chronic users of illicit drugs accounted for 4% of those surveyed while 
non-chronic, or casual, users comprised 8% from a national sample of 4,000 
men and 5,700 women between the ages of 25 and 59.

Southern Economic Journal 2001 October.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens