Screenings Suggest Rising Drug Use Among U.S. Workers

The share of employees testing positive for drug traces from marijuana to prescription opiates is increasing, according to screening data from Quest Diagnostics Inc. Meanwhile, the nation's biggest tobacco companies drop their lawsuit against the FDA over a labeling dispute after the agency agrees to review its policy.

The share of U.S. workers testing positive for drugs appears to be on the rise, according to data from millions of workplace drug tests administered by one of the nation’s largest medical-screening laboratories. Traces of drugs—from marijuana to methamphetamine to prescription opiates—were found in 3.9% of the 9.1 million urine tests conducted for employers by Quest Diagnostics Inc. in 2014, up from 3.7% in 2013. (Weber, 6/2)

The biggest U.S. tobacco companies on Tuesday dropped a federal lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration after challenging the agency’s recent effort to assert authority over labels on tobacco products. (Mickle, 6/2)

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