Latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health Shows Illicit Drug Use Among Full-Time Workers in 2018 Hit Highest Level in Nearly Two Decades

The most recent annual National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH or Survey) shows that the use of illicit drugs on a monthly basis increased to 12.6% in 2018 among full-time employed (FTE) U.S. workers, the highest use percentage reported since 2002 by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which conducts the annual survey. The continuing increase in illicit drug use very likely reflects marijuana’s increasing social acceptance at the state level, where two-thirds of all states now permit marijuana use for recreational and/or medical purposes. Marijuana is still considered an illicit drug under federal law.

SAMHSA’s comprehensive annual Survey is the primary source of information on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco among the civilian, non-institutionalized population of the United States aged 12 years old or older.

The 2018 NSDUH Survey highlights are available online, along with additional “2018 Detailed Tables” of statistical data.

Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.