To test or not to test, that is the question that is top of mind for many employers today when it comes to marijuana testing. As more states legalize at least some form of marijuana testing, the number of applicants testing positive for marijuana continues to grow.

Quest Diagnostics offers the following statistics from a study released this month:

• Overall hair test positivity among American workers reached 19.1% in 2025, up from 9.5% in 2021
• Pre-employment hair test positivity for marijuana increased 49.5% over the past five years (10.1% in 2021 vs. 15.1% in 2025). Random hair test positivity for marijuana increased 14.8% in the same period (18.3% in 2021 vs. 21.0% in 2025).
• 15.1% of workers screened for drugs using a hair test were positive for marijuana – up 58.9% from five years ago
• Overall workforce urine drug positivity remained above 4% for more than a decade
• Fentanyl positivity declines by nearly half in the general U.S. workforce
• Marijuana also accounted for 52.5% of hair drug positives in 2025. By comparison, overall urine drug test positivity in the general U.S. workforce slightly declined to 4.3% in 2025 from 4.4% in the prior year. 

Other substances with a higher number of positive tests are:

• Cocaine positivity was 4.0% in 2025 (up from 2.7% in 2021), a relative increase of 48.1%
• Benzoylecgonine, the primary metabolite of cocaine, increased to 1.7% (up from 1.1% in 2021), an increase of 54.5%
• Amphetamine (2.3% in 2025 vs. 1.8% in 2021), which can include prescription medications, were up 27.8%
• The illicit class of methamphetamine was up 19.0% (2.5% in 2025 vs. 2.1% in 2021).

While positive urine tests for marijuana have hovered over 4% for more than 10 years now, oral fluid tests positive for marijuana were at 11.1%.

Detection Windows

• Hair testing shows a longer history of drug use, up to 90 days, but may not show the most recent use.
• Urine testing shows use from 1 to 7 days.
• Oral fluid testing can show use within hours.

Industry Drug Use

• Healthcare workers ranked the highest for drug positivity, at 5.8%
  • Marijuana and amphetamines were the substances causing the most positive tests
• Retail trade had the highest marijuana positivity among worker categories, at 7.6%
• Professional and Technical Services, 5.3%
• Manufacturing, 4.2%
• Transportation and Warehousing, 4.2%

On a positive note, the use of Fentanyl dropped significantly from 2024 to 0.55% to 2025 at 0.28%.

Positive drug tests negatively impact the pool of applicants for most employers, which has many employers contemplating dropping testing for marijuana. Before making any substantial changes to drug testing policies, employers should consider each class of employees. Clerical employees may not need testing while any employees in safety sensitive positions are required to be tested. The laws around drug testing can differ by state; employers have the responsibility to keep on the laws for each state where they conduct business.

ASE Connect

Drug Screening: ASE helps employers maintain safe, productive, and drug-free workplaces with reliable drug screening programs. We support pre-employment, random, post-incident, and ongoing testing needs through flexible, compliant solutions tailored to your organization’s policies and workforce requirements.

Source: newsroom.questdiagnostics.com