Page 56 - OHS, June 2020

E m p l o y e e D r u g & A l c o h o l Te s t i n g
Drug Testing During COVID-19: Essential and Smart
During a national crisis, substance abuse increases. That’s why keeping up your company’s drug testing is crucial, especially right now.
BY BILL CURRENT
52 Occupational Health & Safety | JUNE 2020
www.ohsonline.com
During a national crisis, substance abuse increases and at a time when substance abuse is already on the rise, Americans now find themselves in the throes of a
worldwide pandemic that is causing many people to experience stress, anxiety and fear.
Substance Abuse in Times
of National Crises
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, stud- ies found that substance abuse generally increased,
especially in New York, as many people sought ways to deal with the symptoms of depression and post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A post-9/11 survey of New Yorkers showed that the “number of respondents who smoked cigarettes increased 9.7 percent, those who consumed alcohol increased 24.6 percent, and those who smoked mari- juana increased 3.2 percent.”1
The report also found that the increase in sub- stance use persisted several months after 9/11: “... 30 percent of Manhattan residents said they drank more