Positive Drug Tests Among Commercial Drivers Increased by 18% in 2022
Newest information from the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse shows that drug use among commercial drivers may be at its highest level since the federal repository was set up in 2019.
Total drug violations reported into the clearinghouse in 2022 increased 18% to 69,668 compared with last year’s 59,011, according to the most recent statistics released this week by the FMCSA, which is almost double than the 9.2% annual increase in drug violations reported in 2021.
Marijuana Violations Increased
A majority of the increase can be associated to violations related to marijuana, which was found most in positive tests. Marijuana violations increased 31.6% in 2022 compared with 2021, to 40,916. That compares to a 5.3% increase between 2020 and 2021.
Positive drug tests reported into the clearinghouse in 2022 increased in 12 of 14 substances tracked by the database. Only hydrocodone and heroin showed decreases. In terms of marijuana, there has been speculation that new state marijuana laws could also be an important factor.
More Rehab and Workforce Re-entry Despite Increased Violations
Some of the increase in total reported violations can be tied to the fact that completed clearinghouse registrations from drivers, employers and third-party organizations have increased since the clearinghouse began accepting registrations in September of 2019, though the number of registrations added annually has declined since 2020 as the database has been gradually filled with all FMCSA-regulated registrants.
The data also shows that more drivers are getting rehabilitated and reentering the workforce. At the end of 2020, only 12.5% of drivers who had tested positive had been cleared to drive once more. In 2021 that number increased to 22.7%, with an increased again in 2022 to 27.6%.
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