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5 Reasons to Drug Test Prior to Employment

Pre-employment drug testing is one of the smartest moves an employer should consider.

Here's a list of the top US states with the highest rates of Drug Test Positives:


1. Oregon

2. Maine

3. Vermont

4. Alabama

5. Louisiana

6. Massachusetts

7. Arkansas

8. Michigan

9. Nevada

10. New Hampshire



In fact, even in our home state of Tennessee we see urine drug tests showing positive at 5% - 5.4%. Global Background Screening LLC is a leading drug testing and background check


Pre-employment drug testing delivers a variety of obvious advantages for any employer regardless of the industry.


One of the key benefits a pre-employment drug testing can deliver is the prevention of abusers from entering the respective organization.


It allows you to help to choose the best candidates who are suitable to work within the given organization.

With that said, let’s take a look at the most important reasons why pre-employment drug testing is beneficial for an organization.


1. It allows you to experience less tardiness and absenteeism


One of the common characteristics associated with drug abusers is that they get ill pretty frequently than others.


As a result, they show laziness and tardiness on a regular basis. If you have hired a drug abuser, you will notice that they get absent on a regular basis. Even when they come to work, they tend to get late as a habit.


With drug testing in Johnson City, you can identity drug abusers and avoid potential troubles.


2. To reduce accidents


Those who are working under the influence of drugs can face or cause various accidents in the workplace.


They can end up causing serious troubles for other employees as well.


The drugs they use can make their minds unstable and thereby make them susceptible to various accidents.


Apart from the physical harms, they can even cause damages to your machinery and other properties. Basically, drug abusers are a costly liability.


3. To experience fewer attitude issues


Another common characteristic you can notice among drug abusers is that they have very bad attitudes. They can engage in violent behavior, get into fights with others or even steal the belongings of other employees. As a result, the overall peace within the workplace will reduce substantially and eventually it can affect productivity as well. However, if you perform a pre-employment drug test, you can avoid all those issues.


4. Reduced healthcare policy expenses


In general, every organization comes with health policies that are defined particularly for its employees.


As you already know, drug abusers have a greater chance of falling ill frequently. If you have a couple of drug abusers in your staff, a major portion of these policies can be attributed to them and it is a total loss for the company.


However, with a pre-employment drug test, you can avoid that issue as well.


5. Minimal workers’ compensation


Drug abusers tend to have a problematic mentality. So, they tend to get hurt more often than not. When such things happen within the premises of the organization, the organization becomes a responsibility.


So, the company must pay compensation to cover their damages. This is lost for the company. A pre-employment drug test can keep drug abusers away and thereby reduce the total workers’ compensation.


Well, as you can realize now, a pre-employment drug test is a very important approach for any organization that wants to keep troubles at bay.


What Does a Pre-employment Drug Test Look For?


A typical urine drug test searches for 5 specific drugs. They call this a basic 5-panel drug test.


Most Common 5 Panel Drug Test


1. Cocaine - typically a white powder substance listed as a schedule 2 drug, with high potential of abuse.


2. Amphetamine - Usually found in pills and considered the "study drug". This prescribed drug commonly is found in ADHD and ADD drugs such as Adderall.


3. Methamphetamine (Part of Amphetamines) - Also commonly know as "Meth"... In our opinion, (maybe because we're in TN) possibly the most important to test for. Meth is typicallyi found as a powder or in a crystallized state. This addition tends to create an extremely strong and violent dependence.

4. Opiate- From the opium poppy plant, most commonly used to create heroin, morphine and other prescribed painkillers.

5. THC - Naturally found in the marijuana plant, THC is by far the most common factor for drug test positives on average around 2.3%.


6. Phencyclidine - Legally made as an animal tranquilizer and commonly known as PCP or Angel Dust.


2nd Most Common Drug test - 9 or 10 Panel Drug Test. (Depending on Marijuana)


Benzodiazepines, Barbituarates, Methadone, Propoxyphene, Quaaludes


Depending on your title or industry, urine drug panels will differ.


With our 20+ year knowledge in the background screening industry, our staff has seen for example, most industries in retail conduct a 5-panel drug test, while if you work in a financial sector or healthcare, it's much more common to see a 9, 10, 12, or even as high as a 15-panel drug test conducted.


Many healthcare positions even drug test for Tobacco.


If you have any questions on which panel to use or what an employer may be testing on you, please feel free to drop a message or contact us.






Global Background Screening LLC is the preferred Tennessee background Check provider. We're a certified Veteran-Owned Small Business dedicated to providing excellent background screening services at the most affordable price. Our clients love talking about our family-friendly customer service. You can see 5 star reviews in Google and Trustpilot.


Our Background Screening services are available in over 100 countries. We are currently a preferred background screening provider for hundreds of businesses in TN including the cities of Knoxville, Nashville, Gallatin, Chattanooga, Johnson City, and many more.

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