Employee and job-seeker amphetamine use up 70 percent

According to statistics released in late July by Diagnostic Laboratory Services, amphetamine use by Hawaii employees and job seekers has increased 70 percent compared to a year ago, while positive tests for marijuana, cocaine and opiates stayed about the same compared to the second quarter of 2009.

The Honolulu-based lab, which conducts pre-employment and random drug testing for approximately 800 Hawaii businesses, tested between 5,000 and 10,000 employees or potential employees in the second quarter of 2010.

 “The ice (amphetamine) use trend is definitely continuing,” Carl Linden, Diagnostic Laboratory Services’ scientific director of toxicology, said in a statement. “There has been increased usage in the last three quarters compared to the previous year.”

Here are the results for the most commonly tested drugs in the workplace:

• Marijuana: About 2.5 percent tested positive.
• Amphetamine: More than 1 percent of employees tested positive.
• Cocaine: Almost 0.2 percent tested positive.
• Opiates or prescription drugs: Almost 0.4 percent tested positive.