--- title: Drug Usage: More American Workers Testing Positive description: More American workers are testing positive for drugs than they have in the past 12 years canonical: https://time.com/4784267/drug-testing-12-year-high/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-18T15:33:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T05:00:04.283Z article:section: Health og:title: More Workers Are Testing Positive for Drugs Than in the Last 12 Years og:description: The U.S. workforce had its highest positive result rate since 2004 og:url: https://time.com/4784267/drug-testing-12-year-high/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt198460db7bc0e3b9/6988cdd6196cf47b540402c4/gettyimages-167073407.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4957 og:image:height: 2788 og:image:alt: drug-testing-workers og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: More Workers Are Testing Positive for Drugs Than in the Last 12 Years twitter:description: The U.S. workforce had its highest positive result rate since 2004 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt198460db7bc0e3b9/6988cdd6196cf47b540402c4/gettyimages-167073407.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # More Workers Are Testing Positive for Drugs Than in the Last 12 Years > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c816e79a-fc94-4319-952a-04a7b663b494&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c816e79a-fc94-4319-952a-04a7b663b494&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=c816e79a-fc94-4319-952a-04a7b663b494&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c816e79a-fc94-4319-952a-04a7b663b494&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Lisa Marie Segarra](https://time.com/author/lisa-marie-segarra/) ## Lisa Marie Segarra May 18, 2017 3:33 PM UTC  Drug counsellor testing urine for traces of drugs. Drug counsellor testing urine for traces of drugs. Photograph by Photofusion—Getty/UIG by [Lisa Marie Segarra](https://time.com/author/lisa-marie-segarra/) ## Lisa Marie Segarra May 18, 2017 3:33 PM UTC More[ American workers ](http://time.com/money/4521151/job-outsourcing-report/)are testing positive for drugs than they have in the past 12 years. According to an [analysis from Quest Diagnostics](http://www.questdiagnostics.com/home/physicians/health-trends/drug-testing), urine tests among the U.S. workforce had a positive result rate of 4.2%, the highest since 2004, when 4.5% of urine tests tested positive for drugs. This was also an increase of 5% from 2015 to 2016. Colorado and Washington, which were the first two states to [legalize marijuana](http://time.com/4728091/canada-legalizing-marijuana-united-states-weed-pot/), have outpaced the rest of the country’s average in the growing trend of positive drug test results for marijuana. Colorado saw an 11% increase and Washington saw a 9% increase in drug tests showing positive results for marijuana. The national average increased by just 4%. While marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine use yielded more positive drug-test results than years prior, [heroin](http://time.com/4715632/heroin-opioid-epidemic/) detection remained at the same rate. “This year’s findings are remarkable because they show increased rates of drug positivity for the most common illicit drugs across virtually all drug test specimen types and in all testing populations,” said Barry Sample, senior director of science and technology for Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4784267/drug-testing-12-year-high/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4784267/drug-testing-12-year-high/"},"headline":"More Workers Are Testing Positive for Drugs Than in the Last 12 Years","datePublished":"2017-05-18T15:33:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T05:00:04.283Z","description":"The U.S. workforce had its highest positive result rate since 2004","url":"https://time.com/4784267/drug-testing-12-year-high/","keywords":["Drugs","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt198460db7bc0e3b9/6988cdd6196cf47b540402c4/gettyimages-167073407.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lisa Marie Segarra","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/lisa-marie-segarra/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt198460db7bc0e3b9/6988cdd6196cf47b540402c4/gettyimages-167073407.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"drug-testing-workers","caption":"Drug counsellor testing urine for traces of drugs.","creditText":"Photograph by Photofusion—Getty/UIG","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/drugs/","name":"Drugs"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4784267/drug-testing-12-year-high/","name":"More Workers Are Testing Positive for Drugs Than in the Last 12 Years"}}]}] ```