Opioid addiction and related deaths are all over the news, along with all the rhetoric about marijuana, but those are not the only drugs out there which are becoming problems. Cocaine is making a comeback, and according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, cocaine is second only to opioids when it comes to drug related deaths.

It seems somewhat strange that we don’t hear more about this drug in the news when cultivation of the coca crop rose by 18% between 2015 and 2016. It seemed the war on drugs was working, so what happened?

As so often happens, a person or group comes up with what seems like a great plan, but it seems the potential for unintended consequences was not thought out. Many Columbians’ survival depends on growing coca, a fact that their President, Juan Manuel Santos understood. The government, while working to obliterate the crop, devised an incentive program for the farmers, in which they could earn up to $10,000 over a two-year period to stop growing coca. The government also managed to negotiate with a rebel group who extorted farmers.

Unfortunately, the plan soon backfired as more farmers started growing coca in order to be eligible for the incentive plan. There was also a plan by the government to spray crops in 2015, but that plan was abandoned after the World Health Organization warned them that the herbicide could cause cancer.

Cocaine is a very addictive drug, and the potential for abuse is very high, particularly for adults between the ages of 18-25. According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 1 in 20 adults in this age range used cocaine in 2015. The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index showed that “the positivity rate in urine testing for cocaine increased for the fourth consecutive year in the general U.S. workforce and for the second consecutive year in the federally mandated, safety-sensitive workforce.” In 2016 alone, the positivity rate grew by 12% among the general workforce, which was a 7-year high.

Overdose deaths from cocaine increased from 4,000 in 2010 to 7,000 in 2015. This comes after a decline in cocaine related deaths from 2006 to 2010. Some scientists say this increase in cocaine deaths is related to opioids. Another source references the increase in the growth of the crop leading to a decrease in the price of the drug as a factor in the upswing of cocaine use.

This drug makes users feel energetic and increases the brain’s level of dopamine. People use it at work “to get through the day.” It is hard to fight a highly addictive drug when the users see it as a positive enhancement to their performance. The effects of the drug, however, do not last long, and the addiction leads to a frequent need for more of it, and more frequently.

Some signs of cocaine abuse at work are:

·        Agitation

·        Leaving and returning to the room in multiple short intervals

·        Noticeable mood changes upon short absence from room

·        Short-lived euphoria

·        Excitability, talking, or exhibiting rapid rate of speech

·        Nervousness

·        Shallow breathing

Cocaine use causes a long list of health issues including in some cases leading to violent behavior. If the opioid crisis and the increased use of marijuana has not convinced you as an employer to conduct drug screening, then consider that the group with the highest number of users of cocaine is entering the workforce.

ASE Resources:

Drug Screening Services:  As part of ASE’s complete suite of pre-employment background services, ASE offers drug screening.  We can accommodate any and all of your drug screening needs, including: pre-employment, random, and post-incident testing. We will design a drug screening program that will meet the needs of your organization with flexibility and efficiency.  For more information contact Susan Chance at [email protected] or 248-223-8058.

Sources:  blog.employersolutions.com, drugabuse.gov, nytimes.com, pbinstitute.com