More Americans Testing Positive for Pot at Work

More Americans than ever have access to legal marijuana, and they're apparently using it more on the job. An annual analysis by the medical lab Quest Diagnostics finds that 4.3% of US workers tested positive for marijuana last year, the highest figure since the company began tracking it in 1988, reports CBS News. The percentage is up from 3.9% in 2021, according to the company, which conducted 6 million workplace urine tests last year. A more troublesome stat is in regard to workplace accidents: The company says 7.3% of workers tested positive for marijuana after an on-the-job mishap, the highest percentage in 25 years, per the Hill.

"This historic rise seems to correspond with sharp increases in positivity for marijuana in both pre-employment and post-accident drug tests, suggesting that changing societal attitudes about marijuana may be impacting workplace behaviors," says Keith Ward, a Quest vice president in a statement. By the count of the Hill, 21 states have fully legalized the use of marijuana, and another 37 have loosened restrictions on medicinal use. (More marijuana stories.)