As managers, we face a challenge unlike we have ever before encountered — the very real problem of illegal drug usage and its effect on our employees. It is an insidious problem that may involve as many as one in five workers using illegal drugs on the job; 73% of drug abusers hold full-time jobs. No organization is above the problem.

Almost all larger companies conduct pre-employment drug screening. Drug users seeking employment will migrate to employers who don’t. In addition to the unacceptable risk to personnel, employers are picking up the tab for lost productivity, absenteeism, and health care expenses — the total bill in terms of money, time, and safety to American employers is approximately $100 billion a year. This program covers current statistics of drug use in the workplace, drug testing issues and risks, policy guidelines, intervention and treatment effectiveness and documentation guidelines.