According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Inc. (NCADD), drug abuse costs employers $81 billion annually. Some 70 percent of the estimated 14.8 million Americans who use illegal drugs are employed, and workers who report having three or more jobs in the previous five years are about twice as likely to be current or past year users of illegal drugs as those who have had two or fewer jobs.
Drug use, abuse or addiction among employees and their family members can cause expensive problems for business and industry, ranging from lost productivity, absenteeism, injuries, fatalities, theft and low employee morale, to an increase in health care, legal liabilities and workers' compensation costs.
In addition, according to NCADD, drug abuse can cause problems at work including:
After-effects of substance use (withdrawal) affecting job performance.
Preoccupation with obtaining and using substances while at work, interfering with attention and concentration.
Illegal activities at work including selling illegal drugs to other employees.
Psychological or stress-related effects due to drug use by a family member, friend or co-worker that affects another person's job performance.